Dispute between Ocean County, N.J. homeowners ends with 1 dead, 2 injured, police say
Police say a dispute between next-door neighbors in a quiet Jersey Shore community led to gunfire, leaving a husband and wife injured and the shooter dead.
A friend of both the victims and the shooter said the Berkeley Township homeowners showed longstanding hostility to each other.
Here's what police say happened
Ocean County police said 54-year-old John Adamo shot his Drake Drive neighbors on Monday just before 5 p.m.
Officials say after shooting the husband outside, Adamo then shot into the man's house, striking his wife, adding Adamo then barricaded himself inside his own home.
The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said SWAT teams eventually made their way inside by blowing off the front door and found Adamo dead, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Officials said the husband and wife were airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where they remain in critical but stable condition.
Neighbors struggle to explain the dispute
What led up to the shooting remains under investigation.
"I can't understand how it could have possibly gotten to this, so it's sad, very sad," neighbor Deborah Nowakoski said.
The "Private Property" signs on the victims' property are directly addressed to their neighbor. Some in the community said they were aware of an ongoing dispute between the two, but they weren't sure exactly why.
"They've been in a longtime dispute. I don't know what brought it to that point. They have the cameras aimed at each other's houses, but in my book they were all nice," neighbor Joe Spicciatie said.
Louie Pascalli said he is a longtime friend of both the shooter and the victims.
"We're all friends in the neighborhood and, you know, we have parties together," Pascalli said, but added "[There was] always friction, but never anything serious like this."
