In a shocking turn of events, a New Jersey council member was found dead in his car just a week after a colleague was murdered in a similar manner.
Russell Heller, 51, a Republican council member, was discovered dead in his vehicle at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, in the parking lot of his workplace, local energy company PSE&G.
The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office identified Gary Curtis, a former employee, as a suspect in the shooting and later found him dead in his car from what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Exactly one week prior, Republican councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour was assassinated in a similar fashion, shot and killed in her car by an unidentified suspect.
Dwumfour’s death occurred just 15 miles from Heller’s death, however, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the two murders are not linked.
Republican New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean expressed his shock and sadness over the tragic murders, posting in a tweet that he was “shocked and saddened by the tragic murder of Milford Councilman Russell Heller. Russell was an outstanding public servant who proudly represented the river town he loved. My prayers are with his family and the Milford community.”
A former employee, who authorities identified as 58-year-old Gary Curtis, approached Heller and shot him outside of his vehicle, according to local news.
Curtis was tracked to a parking lot area in Bridgewater Township where he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
