A Monmouth County man was sentenced to 34 years in prison for his October conviction in connection with the 2012 attempted murder of two men outside an Asbury Park bar, Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said on Thursday.

Tyrice L. Berry, 24, of Neptune City, was sentenced to 24 years in a New Jersey state prison for his convictions on two counts of first-degree attempted murder. The sentence is subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act (NERA) requiring him to serve 85 percent of the prison term imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole.

He would be under parole supervision for five years following his release from state prison. Berry also got a concurrent term of eight years in a New Jersey state prison, with a four-year period of parole ineligibility, pursuant to the Graves Act for his unlawful possession of a handgun conviction.

The sentence handed down by Ocean County Superior Court Judge Rochelle Gizinski also includes a consecutive three-year sentence, for a conviction of third-degree aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.

Both the sentences on the attempted murders and the aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer will run consecutively to the seven-year sentence, also subject to NERA, the defendant received earlier this month following his guilty plea to first-degree conspiracy to commit racketeering in connection with the case known as Operation Dead End.

The cases’ background … 

In October, Berry was found guilty of the two counts of first-degree attempted murder, two counts of second-degree aggravated assault, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and second-degree possession of a handgun without a permit.

The charges stem from a joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Asbury Park Police Department in connection with the Oct. 19, 2012 shooting incident outside of the Cameo Bar on Main Street in Asbury Park.

Patrol officers from the Asbury Park Police Department were in the area of Main Street and Sunset Avenue at approximately 1:23 a.m., when they heard and responded to shots fired outside of the Cameo Bar, located at 1213 Main Street.

Upon arrival, police identified a 30-year-old male and a 28-year-old male who had both sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Both men were transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune Township, where they received treatment for their injuries.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Asbury Park Police Department immediately launched an investigation into the incident and determined the victims were seated in a parked vehicle when they were fired upon by two individuals, one of whom was identified as Berry.  A thorough forensic investigation resulted in the recovery of key pieces of evidence that were later linked to the defendant.

The case was prosecuted by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Diane Aifer.

Berry is represented by Melissa Barbier, Esq., of Toms River.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office