Two New Jersey council members have been fatally shot one week apart, authorities say

A New Jersey borough council member was fatally shot in the parking lot outside his place of work on Wednesday, authorities said – one week after another borough council member in the state was shot and killed in her car.

Russell D. Heller, a Republican Councilman for Milford Borough in Hunterdon County, was shot the parking lot of the energy company where he worked in Franklin Township, investigators said. He was 51 years old.

Heller's death comes one week after the fatal shooting of Eunice Dwumfour, a Republican Councilwoman for Sayreville borough in Middlesex County.

According to Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald, Heller was approached outside his vehicle at about 7 a.m. Wednesday by Gary T. Curtis, a 58-year-old former employee of the energy company, Public Service Enterprise group. Curtis then shot Heller, authorities said.

The prosecutor's office confirmed that Curtis was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a Bridgewater parking lot.

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Heller was the shooter's intended target, McDonald said, and authorities are still trying to determine a motive. However, the investigation determined the shooting "was not politically connected with his elected office or political affiliation," Deputy Chief Frank Roman Jr. said.

In a statement, PSE&G said that the company was "heartbroken at (Heller's) tragic death" and noted he was "an admired employee and a supervisor with over 11 years of service with PSE&G." The company said they they were cooperating with law enforcement.

Rep. Tom Kean Jr. said that Heller "was an outstanding public servant who proudly represented the river town he loved... My prayers are with his family and the Milford community."

Eunice Dwumfour fatally shot one week before Heller's death

Heller's death comes one week after the fatal shooting of Sayreville Councilwoman Dwumfour. On the night of Feb. 1, Dwumfour, 30, was found dead with with several gunshot wounds in her vehicle near her home.

Dwumfour, who was also the mother of a 12-year-old daughter, was 30 years old.

“To have this happen in such a tragic way, I mean, our hearts are just broken and everybody wants an answer,” said Karen Bailey Bebert, the local GOP chairwoman who served as her campaign manager.

Dwumfour was the first Black woman voted into public office in Sayreville. In a Wednesday memorial service, Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick noted that Dwumfour "forever was defining herself and making her place in our history."

More: A New Jersey Republican councilwoman was shot to death. What we know about Eunice Dwumfour's slaying 

The Sayreville police and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office have released very little information about Dwumfour's killing. The possible motive, suspects or any leads in the case are still unknown to the public – raising concerns among nearby residents and the community mourning Dwumfour.

"People need to be informed," Marty Sica, who lives in the section of the borough where the killing occurred, told the Asbury Park Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office briefly sought an injunction to prevent the release of investigative records that media organizations have asked for through Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. The request was dropped Wednesday.

The prosecutor's office has maintained that the investigation is active and ongoing. State police and the FBI have also joined the investigation.

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Contributing: Joe Strupp, Ken Serrano, The Asbury Park Press; Susan Loyer, USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Jersey councilman fatally shot week after Eunice Dwumfour's death