Mother, 9-Year-Old Son Shot On Thanksgiving In South Jersey; Suspect Found Dead: Prosecutor

A woman and her 9-year-old son were shot at their home in South Jersey, and the man suspected of shooting them was found deceased, police said early Friday afternoon.

Melissa Cakmak, 41, of Monroe Township, and her son were taken to Cooper Medical Center in Camden for treatment and are expected to survive, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office said. She was wounded in the torso and he had a graze wound to the hand.

The incident was one of several fatal acts of violence that happened in New Jersey on Thanksgiving and Friday.

Read more: 6 Killed, 11 Injured In New Jersey On Thanksgiving, Black Friday

Police believe Cakmak and her son were shot following an argument between Cakmak and her boyfriend, 48-year-old Robert Long, at the home Cakmak and Long shared on Thursday. She asked him to leave, and he did.

Long then went to another home in Monroe Township, where he got into a physical altercation with the resident, police said.

Although Long left before the police showed up, he was ultimately stopped while driving in the township, and charged with driving while intoxicated. He was released into the care of a relative.

Long eventually returned to the home he shared with Cakmak. She woke up to find him there at 1:30 a.m., just before he shot her twice. The second shot hit her son in the hand, but Cakmak and her son were able to escape the home.

Reports of shots fired drew local police, as well as officers from Franklin, Washington, Deptford and Elk townships and the Gloucester County Sheriff's Office.

When police outside the home were unable to determine Long’s status, the Gloucester County Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)unit was called in.

SWAT officers entered the house at 5 a.m., and found Long deceased. They also found the suspected weapon.