A churchgoing couple was among three people shot dead by a lunatic who then turned the gun on himself in a murder-suicide in a quiet New Jersey neighborhood Tuesday, cops and neighbors said.
The heinous triple-homicide erupted at a Fairwood Avenue home in Berkeley Township around 5 a.m., leaving neighbors horrified as a barrage of rapid gunfire rang out through the streets before police flooded the area, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and local reports.
Two of the victims were described by locals as a devout, friendly couple. The third victim is believed to be their daughter, though police have yet to confirm their identities or relationship.
“They were truly great, great people,” James Casella, 41, told NJ com, adding how the slain pair regularly checked in and even gave his three children backpacks once.
“My kids look out the back window just to see if they’re out there, just to say hi to them. It really hit us hard.”
Casella said one of the bullets even hit his home, directly behind where the victims lived.
Another resident said they watched the third victim dash from the house as the shooter chased her, with a neighbor’s security camera capturing the deadly scene.
“I seen her running out of the house and him chasing her,” Jay Bisogno told the Asbury Park Press.
“I seen the shotgun blasts. It’s definitely a little bit, like you see it on TV kind of thing, but when you know what just happened in your neighborhood and you watch it’s a little more bone-chilling.”
Officials said the suspected shooter – not yet identified – took his own life following the fatal encounter.
He was pronounced dead at Community Medical Center in Towns River.
“It’s shocking,” neighbor Jacqueline Britton, 79, told NJ.com, while another added, “You wouldn’t expect it to happen around here.”
Officials have not released a motive behind the shooting or identified those involved.
Police said there is no danger to the public and the investigation is ongoing.
“The investigation remains active and ongoing, and additional information will be released at the appropriate time,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a statement.