Police and prosecutors said the gunman then returned to the home and killed himself as officers responded to reports of shots fired.
BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, NJ — A man shot and killed his estranged wife and her parents at a home in Ocean County early Tuesday, then turned the gun on himself, authorities said, leaving the couple’s three children unharmed inside the house and a neighborhood sealed off for hours as investigators worked.
The killings unfolded just after 5 a.m. on March 10 at a home on Fairwood Drive, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutors identified the dead as Deonna Stewart, 38, her father Allan Russell, 61, and her mother Michelle Russell, 60, all of Berkeley Township. The gunman was identified as Vaughn Stewart, 37, of Maplewood. Officials said the adults had been living separately, and investigators described the case as a domestic violence killing that ended in a murder-suicide.
Authorities said Berkeley Township police were called to the house for a report of shots fired at about 5 a.m. When officers arrived, they saw a man go into the residence and then heard more gunfire from inside, prosecutors said. The Ocean County Regional SWAT Team later entered the home and found Allan Russell and Michelle Russell dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Vaughn Stewart was also found inside with what officials described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was later pronounced dead.
As officers expanded the crime scene outside the home, they found shell casings along Fairwood Drive and discovered Deonna Stewart’s body about 50 yards from the house, investigators said. Prosecutors said the investigation found that Vaughn Stewart entered the residence, shot his in-laws, then chased Deonna Stewart down the street and fired multiple shots, killing her before going back into the house. Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a statement that the investigation remained active as detectives worked to complete evidence collection, review witness accounts and trace the weapon used in the shooting. Authorities did not say how the gunman entered the home, whether anyone inside placed the emergency call, or what the children saw or heard during the attack.
Officials said Deonna Stewart had been living at the Fairwood Drive address with her parents and the three minor children she shared with Vaughn Stewart. The children were found unharmed in the residence and later placed in the care of the New Jersey Department of Child Protection and Permanency. Police did not release the children’s ages. By Tuesday afternoon, law enforcement officials had said there was no continuing threat to the public, but the scene remained crowded with patrol cars, detectives and tactical officers as neighbors woke to blocked streets and news of four deaths on a normally quiet residential block.
The case quickly became one of the deadliest domestic violence episodes in New Jersey this year and drew attention not only because four people died, but because the victims included two grandparents inside their own home and the children survived in the middle of the attack. Investigators have not publicly discussed a motive beyond the family separation, and court and police records described in local reporting show Vaughn Stewart had been arrested in February in Union County in a domestic violence case involving an alleged death threat. Officials in Ocean County have not said whether any restraining order was in place at the time of the shootings, whether the accused had pending court dates, or whether prosecutors believe prior warning signs were missed by the system.
That uncertainty left several important questions unresolved a day after the killings. Authorities have not said how long Vaughn Stewart was at or near the home before police arrived, whether he had been watching the property, or whether Deonna Stewart tried to flee after the first shots were fired inside. They also have not released details on the firearm, including whether it was legally owned or recovered at the scene. Investigators commonly hold back those details in the first stages of a homicide inquiry while lab testing is completed, witness interviews continue and detectives assemble a full timeline from dispatch records, surveillance footage and physical evidence.
The setting added to the shock. Berkeley Township is a large Jersey Shore community in Ocean County with a mix of year-round neighborhoods and seasonal areas, and Fairwood Drive is the kind of street where early morning traffic is usually limited to commuters, school staff and delivery trucks. Instead, residents on Tuesday were met by crime scene tape, emergency vehicles and investigators moving in and out of the home. Local television reports said neighbors heard a burst of gunfire around dawn, and one outlet reported that investigators reviewed a 911 call and nearby video as they pieced together the sequence of shots. Officials have not publicly released that material.
The legal case against Vaughn Stewart ended with his death, but the investigation itself is not over. Prosecutors said detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Berkeley Township police and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit are continuing to document the scene and complete reports. In a case like this, investigators typically finish autopsy findings, firearm testing, ballistics work and a final timeline before issuing a closing summary. That report may answer key questions about the order of the shootings, the number of shots fired and the path officers took once they reached the house. It could also clarify whether earlier domestic violence allegations had reached any court or police agency outside Ocean County and whether that history played a role in the final response.
For now, the clearest picture is also the most devastating one: a family that had been living apart after a separation was torn apart in minutes. Deonna Stewart was killed outside the home where she had been staying with her parents, and Allan and Michelle Russell were killed inside the house prosecutors said they owned. The three children survived, but both of their parents are now dead. Billhimer praised local police, SWAT officers and county investigators for their work at the scene. Neighbors and the wider community, meanwhile, were left to absorb a case that moved from predawn gunfire to a four-death investigation before many residents had even started the day.
As of Thursday, March 12, authorities had identified all four dead and said the children remained safe in state care. The next public milestone is expected to be any additional statement from the prosecutor’s office as investigators finish forensic testing and close out the homicide investigation.
Author note: Last updated March 12, 2026.