Boyfriend charged in fatal shooting of Pleasantville, NJ mom

PLEASANTVILLE — An Atlantic City man has been arrested for killing his 30-year-old girlfriend using a stolen gun, prosecutors said.

Lamar Pitts, 36, faces an aggravated manslaughter charge and other weapons offenses. He fatally shot Jazmen Martin-Richardson, a mother of two, at her home early Monday morning, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office.

Friends and family mourned Martin's death on social media.

"My beautiful daughter Jazmen Martin-Richardson was murdered and my life will never be the same," said Martin's father, "Please pray for me and my family."

Prosecutors did not go into detail about what led to the shooting or how it occurred. It's unclear why Pitts faces a charge of manslaughter instead of murder.

Pleasantville police responded to the house on Iowa Avenue shortly after midnight. Breaking AC reported that Martin's two sons were home and asleep at the time of the shooting.

Prosecutors said Martin died at the home despite the efforts of local medical personnel.

Authorities arrested Pitts later Monday evening. An affidavit stated that he had made the phone call to police reporting that Martin had been shot in the chest.

The handgun used to shoot Martin was stolen, according to prosecutors. Pitts pleaded guilty to drug charges in 2013 and could not legally possess a firearm.

Pitts is also facing weapons charges for an "incident" that took place a week before Martin's death, according to prosecutors.

Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com

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