NJ dad kills in-laws, hunts down wife in the street before taking own life near kids

BERKELEY — A man fatally shot his estranged wife and her parents at their home early Tuesday, leaving their three children orphaned after a murderous rampage that ended with him turning the gun on himself as police arrived.

Vaughn Stewart, 37, from Maplewood, went to his in-laws' home on Fairwood Drive in Berkeley around 5 a.m. He shot Allan Russell, 61, and Michelle Russell, 60, the parents of his wife, who had been living at that address with the children since their separation.

Stewart then shot his wife, Deonna Stewart, 38, after chasing her about 50 yards down the street.

Stewart then went back inside the house as police arrived and shot himself in the head, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said. He was pronounced dead at Community Medical Center in Toms River.

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Deonna and Vaughn Stewart’s three minor children were inside the home but were not injured, officials said. 

The children are now in the care of the Department of Child Protection and Permanency.

The gunfire woke up neighbors, who called police. The Ocean County Regional SWAT Team entered the home and found the bodies of the Russells, according to Billhimer.

Neighbors told ABC 7 Eyewitness News they heard loud gunshots fired around 5 a.m.  An unnamed source told Jersey Shore Online the victims were shot "many times."

Photo courtesy Exit 74 Scanner News

If you feel you or someone you know may be in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or the NJ Hopeline at 1-855-654-6735.  Click here to chat online with a trained counselor.

Editor's Note: Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this report incorrectly stated that Vaughn Stewart was a child welfare worker. His father-in-law was. 

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