Second New Jersey councilman shot to death in a week: 51-year-old man killed by former co-worker
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Second New Jersey councilman shot to death in a week: 51-year-old man killed by former co-worker who was later found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his car
A New Jersey councilman was shot to death exactly one week after the unsolved murder of another New Jersey councilman.
Russell Heller, 51, was shot and killed by a former co-worker shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of an energy company where he worked.
Authorities quickly identified a suspect, Gary Curtis, 58, in the murder mystery, however he was later found dead in a car from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The murder of the Milford councilman comes just seven days after Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, 30, was found dead in her white Nissan SUV after it crashed near her New Jersey home.
Her murder remains unsolved, however authorities have yet to link her death to Heller’s.
Russell Heller, 51, was shot just after 7 a.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of an energy company where he worked.
Eunice Dwumfour, 30, was found dead in her white Nissan SUV after it crashed near her home on Point of Wood Drive in New Jersey.
The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office insisted that despite the proximity of the two deaths, Heller’s murder appears to be “an isolated incident.”
‘The investigation is ongoing to determine the reason.
The prosecutor’s office also stressed that “Heller was the intended target.”
Tributes have poured in following the sudden deaths of the two Republican lawmakers.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he was sending “thoughts and prayers” to the “family and friends” of the slain councilman in the wake of this tragic act of gun violence.
Henri Schepens, the mayor of Milford, where Heller was a councillor, said nj.com that ‘the Milford City Council is deeply saddened by the loss and our hearts go out to his family.
Heller “was so full of life that it’s unbelievable that he’s gone,” the mayor said.
‘Something like this has never happened in the history of the municipality. We are very shocked by this.
Congressman Tom Kean added that he was “shocked and saddened by the tragic murder.”
“Russell was an outstanding public servant who proudly represented the waterfront city he loved,” he said in a tweet.