A second Republican New Jersey council member was shot dead Wednesday, just a week after a first was gunned down outside her home.
Milford councilman Russell Heller, who also works as a supervisor at a utility company, was gunned down in a parking lot outside his office on Wednesday by a former employee. Last Wednesday, Sayreville councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour was killed by an unidentified gunman outside her home, in what police called a targeted attack. Heller’s killer was later found dead from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The pair of killings come as Democrats have sought to blame their enemies for fomenting "political violence" against their party members. In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden attributed the brutal assault of Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D., Calif.) husband, Paul Pelosi, to the actions of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Heller was killed less than 15 miles from where Dwumfour was found dead in her SUV with multiple gunshot wounds. Her killer is still at large. New Jersey governor Phil Murphy (D.) attributed both deaths to "gun violence."
Heller, a father of one, has served as a councilman in Hunterdon County since 2017.
Rep. Tom Kean (R.), who represents New Jersey’s Seventh Congressional District, said Wednesday night that he was "shocked and saddened by the tragic murder."
"Russell was an outstanding public servant who proudly represented the river town he loved," he said on Twitter. "My prayers are with his family and the Milford community."