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Demolition on one of New Jersey's "saddest" shopping centers began in August 2015. The Beachwood center has been an eyesore in Berkeley Twp. for decades and will be replaced with commercial and residential development. STAFF VIDEO BY BOB BIELK STAFF VIDEO BY BOB BIELK

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BERKELEY A 26-year-old Barnegat man was shot and killed Saturday while hunting for deer with his father and two friends in a wooded area of the township near what is known locally asJohnson's Pit, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

On Sunday morning, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office released the name of the deceased, Richard Pereira, 26, of Barnegat, via a post on its Facebook page.

A preliminary investigation determined that the victim died from shotgun wounds after one of his friends a 41-year-oldman from Lacey discharged his weapon in the course of the hunt, said Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office.

After hearing the gunshot blast,the victim's father immediately attempted to render aid to his dying son, Della Fave said.

The Berkeley Township Police Department and paramedics from the MONOC ambulanceservice were dispatched to the scene on Locker Street at 8:46 a.m. Saturday, after a 911 call was received, he said.

The identities of the other men involved were not released as of Sunday morning.

The victim was pronounced dead at 9:08 a.m. Saturday by a physician at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center via telemetry transmitted to Newark from the scene, Della Fave said.

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The body of the Barnegat man was then taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River.

The scene and the shotgun weresecured byDetectivesMatthew Scutti and Ralph Laudicinaofthe Crime Scene Investigation Unit ofthe Ocean County Sheriff's Department, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Ocean County Major Crimes Unit DetectiveJohn Carroll and John Murphy of the Prosecutor's Office, along with Berkeley police DetectiveJoseph Santoro, have been assigned to lead the investigation, Della Fave said.

The woodswhere the shooting occurred is behind where the Beachwood Shopping Center once stood. Farther back, Johnson's Pit was used for years inan asphalt-manufacturing operation, and it is the future site of the Berkeley-Beachwood segment of Ocean County'sBarnegat Branch Trail, a 15.6-mile long rail trailthat eventually will extend from Barnegatto Toms River.

Erik Larsen: 732-682-9359 or elarsen@gannettnj.com

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Police: Barnegat man killed on hunting trip in Berkeley now identified - Asbury Park Press