In an untoward incident,a 23-year-old Indian student has been arrested and charged for allegedly murdering his grandparents and uncle in New Jersey condominium, police and US media reports said.
According to the South Plainfield Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, 23-year-old Om Brahmbhatt allegedly shot Dilipkumar Brahmbhatt, 72, Bindu Brahmbhatt, 72, and Yashkumar Brahmbhatt, 38.
Om, hailing from Gujarat, resided with the victims and was found at the residence when authorities arrived at the scene.
Om had just moved to New Jersey within the past couple of months, sources said and had been living at the condo, NBC New York reported.
About the incident
Following a neighbour's report of hearing shots fired at the Traditions condo complex, the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office said in a press release that officers responded to the home on Coppola Drive off New Durham Road in South Plainfield around 9 am on Monday.
After arriving, officers found three people - two men and a woman - who had suffered gunshot wounds.
Married couple Dilipkumar and Bindu Brahmbhatt were found shot to death in the second-floor apartment, police said. Their son, Yashkumar Brahmbhatt, was also found to have suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where he died.
Police action so far
A suspect was taken into custody for questioning at the scene and later charged. Om was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and second-degree weapon possession.
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.
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.
An investigation by South Plainfield Detective Thomas Rutter and Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office Detective Javier Morillo determined that there was no threat to the public and this was not a random act of violence, according to the prosecutor's office.
