A horrific shooting rampage in Berkeley Township, New Jersey, left four people dead early Tuesday morning after a man killed his estranged wife and her parents before turning the gun on himself, authorities said.
Police responded to a home on Fairwood Drive around 5 a.m. Tuesday, March 10, after receiving reports of shots fired. When officers arrived, they spotted 37-year-old Vaughn Stewart of Maplewood entering the residence and immediately heard additional gunfire inside, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.
In a chilling 911 call obtained by investigators, homeowner Allan Russell, 61, pleaded with the operator: “I am shot. I am shot in the house. Send an ambulance please.” Screams could be heard in the background of the recording.
The Ocean County Regional SWAT Team entered the home and discovered Russell and his wife Michelle Russell, 60, both dead from gunshot wounds to the head. Three children were found inside the residence, physically unharmed but left orphaned by the violence that had unfolded around them.
Officers also found Stewart suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. Emergency responders rushed him to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced dead.
As police expanded the perimeter of their investigation, they made a grim discovery about 50 yards from the home. The body of 38-year-old Deonna Stewart lay on the side of Fairwood Drive, killed by multiple gunshot wounds after her husband chased her down the street.
A neighbor’s Ring camera captured the final desperate moments of Deonna Stewart as she fled in the pre-dawn darkness. In the footage, she can be heard screaming “Murderer! Murderer!” as she runs from the home where her parents had just been shot. The camera recorded more than 20 gunshots before Deonna fell to the ground. Stewart then walked back inside the house, emerged again, crossed the street, and stood over his wife’s body before firing one final shot.
Investigators determined that Deonna Stewart had been living at the Fairwood Drive residence with her three children and her parents since separating from Vaughn Stewart. The couple’s youngest child was just months old, with the others approximately 3 and 5 years old, according to neighbors.
According to prosecutors, Vaughn Stewart entered the home early Tuesday morning and shot and killed Allan and Michelle Russell. He then chased Deonna Stewart down the street and opened fire, killing her. After murdering his wife, Stewart reentered the home and shot himself as police arrived at the scene.
The gunfire woke several neighbors in the quiet residential area before dawn. A neighbor named Ashley told investigators she heard approximately six gunshots around 4:45 a.m. Her doorbell camera recorded the sound of the gunfire.
Court records revealed a pattern of escalating violence. Vaughn Stewart had been arrested on February 11 and charged with making terroristic threats, harassment, and simple assault after a violent confrontation at a QuickCheck convenience store in Cranford. According to police documents, Stewart punched his wife in the head multiple times, ripped a braid from her head, and struck her neck with a phone. During the struggle, he threatened to “murder her and her family.”
Stewart was released following that arrest after authorities did not file a motion to detain him pending trial. He had been scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Union County for a plea disposition conference on April 9. Police had responded to the Berkeley Township home multiple times for domestic violence incidents over the past few years, and a law enforcement source confirmed Deonna Stewart had taken out a restraining order against her estranged husband.
The three children who survived the rampage are now in the care of the Department of Child Protection and Permanency—the same agency where their grandfather Allan Russell worked as a caseworker dedicated to helping struggling families.
Quinn Gunderson, who worked alongside Allan Russell at the agency, remembered him as a devoted public servant. “Allan was the best of men. He loved with his whole heart,” Gunderson told NBC10 Philadelphia. A DCP spokesperson described Russell as someone who “positively impacted the lives and trajectories of families in his community.”
Gunderson created an online fundraiser to help cover funeral expenses for the family and provide support for the three surviving children.
Neighbors described the Russells as “the most amazing people.” The couple, originally from Jamaica, had built deep roots in the community, becoming known for their generosity and warmth.
Neighbor Nadia Kashia recalled seeing police at the residence before. “I have seen like the police came here, like last year maybe, and they took a man,” she told NBC10. Speaking about the children who survived, Kashia added: “I’m so sad for them.”
Authorities emphasized there is no ongoing danger to the public. Multiple shell casings were discovered at the scene as investigators worked to piece together the exact sequence of events.
This tragedy underscores the deadly consequences of domestic violence, even when protective measures like restraining orders are in place. Anyone experiencing domestic violence can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).