Prosecutor: 3 killed in Berkeley Township before suspect turns gun on himself
The Ocean County Regional SWAT Team was called in and made entry into the home. Inside, they found two people dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Three minor children were also inside the home but were not hurt.
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Police were called to a home on Fairwood Drive for reports of shots fired. When officers arrived, they said they could hear gunfire coming from inside the house.
The Ocean County Regional SWAT Team was called in and made entry into the home. Inside, they found two people dead from apparent gunshot wounds. They were identified as the homeowners, 61-year-old Allan Russell, 61, and Michelle Russell, 60. Three minor children were also inside the home but were not hurt.
As officers continued searching the house, they found a man identified as Vaughn Stewart, 37, of Maplewood suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he later died.
While expanding the investigation outside the home, officers discovered shell casings and another victim about 50 yards away on Fairwood Drive. That victim was identified as Deonna Stewart, 38, of Berkeley Township.
Investigators say Stewart lived at the home with her parents and her three children. Authorities say Vaughn Stewart — the father of those children — had been living separately.
According to investigators, Vaughn Stewart entered the home and shot Allan and Michelle Russell. Police say he then chased Deonna Stewart down the street and shot her multiple times before returning to the house and turning the gun on himself.
The three children are now in the care of the New Jersey Department of Child Protection and Permanency.
The investigation remains ongoing.
