Manchester man blames imaginary friend after accidentally shooting himself:

TOMS RIVER — A Manchester man was charged this weekend with various weapons-related offenses after he accidentally shot himself in the leg with a stolen handgun, said Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.

Richard Rokicki, 58, of the Whiting section, also lied to police about the circumstances of the incident, according to the statement from Billhimer.

Rokicki fabricated a story about a friend who was visiting his home sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning and allowed Rokicki to “hold his firearm,” when the weapon discharged, the statement said.

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He even provided police with a description of his fictional friend and the vehicle he was in, explaining that the imaginary person left his house after the shooting occurred, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

Detectives obtained a search warrant of Rokicki’s home where they recovered the weapon used in the shooting as well as a spent shell casing. The handgun had previously been reported stolen in North Carolina, the statement said.

An investigation determined that Rokicki had been home alone at the time of the incident and accidentally shot himself in the leg with the stolen handgun, the Prosecutor’s Office said.

Rokicki has since been charged with being a certain person not to possess a weapon, possession of stolen property, unlawful possession of a firearm and hindering his own apprehension, according to the statement.

Manchester police officers responded to the scene about 2:40 a.m. Sunday and Rokicki was taken to the Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

After Rokicki was released from the hospital, he returned home where he was taken into custody without incident.

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Rokicki was taken to the Ocean County Jail, where he remained Monday night pending the outcome of a future detention hearing.

The Major Crime Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office and Crime Scene Investigations Division of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Division, worked with Manchester Police on the case.

Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Whiting NJ man blames imaginary friend after being shot in leg: Cops

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