John Thompson III must serve at least 42 months before becoming eligible for parole
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — A Galloway Township man has been sentenced to five years in state prison after authorities said surveillance video showed him pursuing an injured shooting victim while carrying a shotgun.
John Thompson III, 36, of Galloway Township, was sentenced Tuesday by Superior Court Judge Daniel Kurkowski to five years in New Jersey State Prison, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
Thompson must serve 42 months before becoming eligible for parole under New Jersey's Graves Act.
The sentence resulted from a plea agreement in which Thompson previously pleaded guilty to second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose.
Police hear gunshots, find wounded man
The case began June 30, 2025, when Galloway Township police officers investigating an unrelated matter heard several gunshots in the area of 620 S. Simms Avenue, according to prosecutors.
Officers found a man nearby suffering from a gunshot wound.
As police searched the area for possible additional victims, they came to Thompson's home and attempted to contact anyone inside, prosecutors said.
After receiving no response, officers contacted Thompson by telephone and asked for permission to enter the residence and access footage from his outdoor security camera as part of their investigation.
Thompson refused both requests, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
Police subsequently obtained search warrants for the home and camera system.
Shotgun and surveillance video
During the search of Thompson's residence, investigators found a shotgun.
When officers reviewed footage from Thompson's outdoor camera, prosecutors said they saw Thompson carrying a shotgun.
The video also showed Thompson pursuing the same injured man police had found earlier, first on a lawn and then as the two moved outside the camera's view, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
Thompson later testified in court that the shotgun seen in the video was the same weapon recovered from his home and that he had picked it up that night to use against someone outside his residence, prosecutors said.
The Prosecutor's Office release does not allege that Thompson fired the shot that wounded the man, and Thompson's conviction was for possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose.
Under the sentence imposed Tuesday, Thompson will have to serve three years and six months of his five-year term before becoming eligible for parole.
