NJ man shoots neighbors in quiet waterfront street before turning gun on himself

BERKELEY — The affluent bay beach neighborhood in the Bayville section was ricked Monday afternoon by a gunman who shot his neighbors before turning the gun on himself amid a police standoff.

Police received a 911 call at 4:45 p.m., Monday, March 10, about two gunshot victims at a home on Drake Drive.

Officers found a husband and wife, each with a gunshot wound.

The victims were airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune; both are in critical but stable condition, according to police. The couple has been identified by neighbors as Jill and Tom Kwatkoski.

Investigators said the victims' next-door neighbor, John Adamo, 45, was the gunman who shot the husband outside of the home, before opening fire into the house and injuring his wife.

The Ocean County Regional SWAT Team and the Ocean County Regional SWAT-Crisis Negotiating Team surrounded Adamo’s residence in a 2 1/2 hour standoff.

When officers entered the home, they found that Adamo had died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his bedroom.

Law enforcement also said they found a pressure cooker inside the bedroom, prompting them to evacuate neighboring residences. The New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad eventually determined the pressure cooker was not a bomb, according to police.

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