TOMS RIVER — A man shot by police in a confrontation late Thursday night had pointed an air gun at officer man stopped by Toms River police pointed an air gun at the officers late Thursday night before running off and jumping into the Toms River.

Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, said police approached a car with Timothy Sauers, 29, inside parked near the corner of Cedars Drive and Haines Street. Officers fired at the Toms River man after he pointed what appeared to be a firearm at them, according to Della Fave, who said Sauers did not fire his weapon.

"At 11:30 p.m. at night there's no way for them to know specifically if its an operating firearm or not. They know he's pointing a pistol or a handgun towards them. The investigation will center upon, 'Did (the officers) legitimately fear for their lives?'" Della Fave said.

After an hour-long search with a State Police helicopter, the Ocean County Sheriff's Department and Toms River Police, Sauers was found with a gunshot wound and hospitalized for non-life threatening injuries, Della Fave said.

According to a criminal complaint, Sauers was arraigned on Friday morning in Toms River Municipal Court on charges of knowingly having in his possession an air gun without a permit, extreme indifference to the value of human life and pointing a firearm at or in the direction of another and having a firearm with a purpose to use it unlawfully against the person or property of another.

Della Fave said the incident was not related to Thursday's police shootings in Dallas, Texas, which left 5 officers dead.

He is being held pending $500,000 bail at the Ocean County Jail.

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