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For the second time in a week, a council member in New Jersey was shot and killed. Milford Borough Council member Russell Heller, 51, was found dead near his car at a PSE&G facility where he worked for the past 11 years on Wednesday (February 8) morning.
Police identified the shooter as Gary T. Curtis, 58, a former coworker of Heller. Several hours after Heller was shot, police located Curtis in a nearby town. When they approached his vehicle, they discovered he was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators have not determined a motive for Heller's murder but do not believe it was political in nature.
"The Milford Borough Council is deeply saddened by the loss, and our hearts go out to his family," Milford Mayor Henri Schepens told NJ.com. "He was so full of life, it's just unbelievable that he's gone. Something like this has never happened in borough history. We are very shaken by this."
Heller's death comes one week after 30-year-old Eunice Dwumfour, a Republican member of the Sayreville Borough Council, was killed in a targeted attack outside of her home. Officials have not identified a suspect in her murder and have asked the FBI to assist with the ongoing investigation.
Authorities do not believe the two shootings are related.