Family mourning loss of 14-year-old gunned down in Millville, NJ

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Police in South Jersey are investigating after a 14-year-old was gunned down on Monday night.

It happened around 10:20 p.m. in the area of City Park Drive in Millville.

Officers arrived to find a 14-year-old boy suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The victim has been identified as Chelmar Townsend. He is the fourth teenager to be shot and killed in Cumberland County over the past month.

The teen's father, Chellie Townsend, has been holding onto his son's football jersey and a patch of dirt where the boy collapsed and died.

"I picked it up from the park, put it in a bag. This is my last connection with him. They left him laying down in the park," said Chellie.

The shooting unfolded as Chelmar was hanging out with friends in Waltman Park in Millville.

Investigators say some kind of argument ensued with a group of young people when someone pulled out a gun.

Chelmar took off running but was shot in the back.

On Wednesday night, his family gathered at the spot where this promising young student-athlete lost his life, a day after releasing balloons in his memory at this same location.

Chellie Townsend Jr. says he knows his little brother would've made a name for himself on the gridiron.

"I definitely heard people talking about him, and I wish you could've made it in high school ... to see what he could've become football-wise," the older sibling said.

But the teen's father says he just misses his son.

"Next thing you know you get a call, they shot your son," he says, "I don't even know, man."

No arrests have been made in the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call Millville police.

Meanwhile, the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office announced Tuesday that two 16-year-olds were charged for the murder of a 16-year-old Millville resident in the city of Bridgeton.

Officers were called to a location on Mount Vernon Street on June 25, 2023 for a report of a male victim suffering from a gunshot wound. That's where police found the 16-year-old dead.

One of the teen suspects was arrested on June 30, while the other was arrested on July 6.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Alavion Harris of Bridgeton was arrested in Jefferson City, Missouri and was charged with Hindering Apprehension.

Another suspect, Nashaloni Harris, is wanted in connection with this case. Harris, a 21-year-old Bridgeton resident, is facing charges of Destruction of Evidence, Hindering Apprehension and Obstruction.

Anyone with information on Nashaloni's whereabouts is asked to contact the Bridgeton Police Department at 856-392-9031 or the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office at 856-579-1431.