FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ (Somerset County) – A Georgia man has been arrested for attempted murder and kidnapping that occurred in Franklin Township on Sunday morning, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.
On August 21, at around 1:25 a.m., police responded to a hotel located on World’s Fair Drive in Franklin Township for a report of a shooting, McDonald said.
Upon arrival, officers located a 37-year-old female suffering from gunshot wounds to her hip and foot. The female told officers that Eder Gelin, 39, of Douglasville, who is known to the victim, had shot her and was located at the scene. Officers were able to apprehend him without incident, McDonald said.
A police investigation revealed that earlier in the evening Gelin had been drinking alcohol and become irate and threatening towards the victim. He subsequently brandished a handgun and held the victim at gunpoint in the presence of her two children for over an hour while inside of the hotel room, McDonald said.
The victim stated to authorities that she was able to escape from Gelin, who chased after the victim and shot at her causing wounds to her foot and hip.
Officers along with emergency medical personnel treated the victim at the scene and transported her to a local hospital. She is expected to survive her injuries, McDonald said.
Authorities were able to recover a handgun from the scene, McDonald said.
Gelin was arrested and charged with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Gelin was lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing, McDonald said.
