What to Know
- Three people, two men and a woman, were shot and killed inside a New Jersey condo, according to police, and a neighbor said it wasn't the first time there had been trouble at the apartment before.
- Officers responded to a home on Coppola Drive off New Durham Road in South Plainfield around 9 a.m. Monday after a neighbor reported hearing shots fired at the Traditions condo complex, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said
- The woman and one of the men were pronounced dead at the scene; Another man, who suffered multiple gun shot wounds, was taken to the hospital. He later died from his injuries
A suspect was arrested after he allegedly shot and killed his grandparents and uncle inside a New Jersey condo, according to police, and a neighbor said it wasn't the first time there had been trouble at the apartment before.
Officers responded to the home on Coppola Drive off New Durham Road in South Plainfield around 9 a.m. Monday after a neighbor reported hearing shots fired at the Traditions condo complex, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said in a press release. After arriving, officers found three people — two men and a woman — who had suffered gunshot wounds.
Married couple Dilipkumar and Bindu Brahmbhatt, both of whom were 72 years old, were found shot to death in the second-floor apartment, police said. Their son, 38-year-old Yashkumar Brahmbhatt, was also found to have suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where he died.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
A suspect was taken into custody for questioning at the scene and later charged. Om Brahmbhatt was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and second-degree weapon possession. The 23-year-old Brahmbhatt had just moved to New Jersey within the past couple months for school, sources said, and had been living at the condo.
He was taken to the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center pending a pre-trial detention hearing; it wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney and a listed number for him couldn't be found.
It was not clear what led up to the shooting. A neighbor told NBC New York that it wasn't the first time police had been called to the condo.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
"I didn’t really know them, I just know one time the police were there for a domestic violence call," said neighbor Jim Short, who lives upstairs from the unit where the three people were found dead. "Can happen anywhere but it is really creepy, it’s right downstairs."
The Traditions apartment complex, home to many young families who emigrated from India, is equipped with dozens of security cameras that neighbors hoped could help police.
"There’s cameras all over and there are cameras coming in and out of the complex and every building has cameras outside and inside the breezeway. So hopefully that can help," said another neighbor, Victor Orozco.
An investigation led by the South Plainfield Police Department is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call town police or the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.
