New Jersey Tragedy: 2 Council Members Shot, Killed

On Wednesday, a New Jersey borough council member was fatally shot in the parking lot outside of his workplace a week after another borough council member in the state was assassinated in her car.

According to police, Russell D. Heller, a councilman for Milford Borough in Hunterdon County and a Republican, was shot in the parking lot of the energy firm where he worked in Franklin Township. He reached the age of 51.

Another New Jersey Councilman Shot Dead

One week before Heller's assassination, Republican Sayreville Borough Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour of Middlesex County was fatally shot.

According to Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald, Heller was approached by Gary T. Curtis, a 58-year-old former energy business Public Service Enterprise Group employee, outside his vehicle at around 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday. According to investigators, Curtis shot Heller.

According to US Today, Curtis was subsequently discovered dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a Bridgewater parking lot, as verified by the prosecutor's office. McDonald stated that Heller was the gunman's intended target and that officials are still investigating the motivation.

The inquiry revealed, however, that the shooting "had no political connection to his elected post or party affiliation," as Deputy Chief Frank Roman Jr stated. Heller's death follows the fatal shooting of Sayreville Councilwoman Dwumfour by one week. Dwumfour, 30, was discovered dead with several gunshot wounds in her vehicle near her residence on the evening of February 1.

Dwumfour, the mother of a girl aged 12 years, was 30. Sayreville's first black American elected official was Dwumfour. At a funeral ceremony on Wednesday, the mayor of Sayreville, Victoria Kilpatrick, said that Dwumfour "was forever defining herself and carving out a place in our history."

Sayreville police and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office have given very little information concerning the murder of Dwumfour. The suspected motivation, suspects, and leads in the case remain unclear to the public, causing alarm among residents and the mourning community for Dwumfour.

Per Fox News, the police still seek a motive for Heller's murder. The electric company has not indicated what, if any, working connection he and Curtis had. Investigators think the shooting was an isolated event, with Heller as the intended victim. Wednesday, at about 10:20 a.m., investigators tracked Curtis to a car in a Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, parking lot.

New Jersey Councilman Killer Found Dead

They approached the suspect's vehicle and discovered him deceased next to a gun. Authorities have stated that the motivation for the shooting remains unknown but that Heller was the intended target in an isolated event. Mayor Henry Schepens of Milford said that Heller has served on the council for five years, having been elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022.

Even though he oversaw "one of the hardest" commissioners of sewage, water, and public works, Heller was regarded as "funny, upbeat, and optimistic." He handled it in stride, Schepens said.

Heller was descended from a line of governmental servants. His mother served on the council for twenty years, while his father previously held the position of mayor. He also leaves behind a 19-year-old daughter. Democratic New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy termed Heller's death a "tragic act of gun violence," adding that his thoughts and prayers were with the Heller family.

The PSE&G plant, the central division headquarters in Somerset, is a bustling center, but the shooting halted all operations. PSE&G described Heller's death as devastating and terrible, CBS News reported. The utility stated, "Everybody will much miss him, and our sympathies are with his family during this terrible time."

Investigators think this was an isolated incident in which Heller was the intended victim. Anyone with more information is requested to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office at (908) 231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5500. You may also phone 1-888-577-TIPS to leave an anonymous tip (8477).