Vaughan Stewart dies in fatal Berkeley Township shooting
Fatal Berkeley Township shooting death of Vaughan Stewart – Obituary
BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ — Vaughan Stewart, 37, of Maplewood, was identified as the gunman in a domestic shooting that left four people dead early Tuesday morning, including his estranged partner and her parents. Stewart was later found inside the home with a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at Community Medical Center in Toms River.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Stewart targeted the mother of his three children, Deonna Stewart, 38, outside her Fairwood Drive residence after first killing her parents, Allan Russell, 61, and Michelle Russell, 60, inside their home. The three children, including a baby and two toddlers, ages 5 and 3, were unharmed during the attack.
Police discovered Deonna Stewart about 50 yards from the house, with multiple shell casings nearby, after responding to reports of gunfire around 5 a.m. Witnesses described seeing Stewart pursue her outside the home, firing multiple shots. One neighbor, Jay Bisogno, said the chase and shooting were captured on a neighbor’s surveillance camera, describing the footage as “bone-chilling.”
Investigators from the Major Crime Unit, township police, Ocean County Sheriff’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and the Ocean County Regional SWAT team confirmed that Deonna Stewart had been living in her parents’ house with the children, apart from Vaughan Stewart. The sequence of events indicated that Stewart first killed the Russells, then shot Deonna Stewart outside before returning inside to inflict a fatal wound on himself.
The children have been placed under the care of the New Jersey Department of Child Protection and Permanency. Township police emphasized that there is no ongoing threat to the public, while Fairwood Drive remains cordoned off as authorities continue their investigation. Residents described the incident as unprecedented and shocking in an otherwise quiet neighborhood.
