On a summer evening in July, the life of 46-year-old Heather Sue Campbell was tragically cut short in the parking lot of a Buffalo Wild Wings in Hummels Wharf, near Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. She was on a date with 52-year-old Matthew Bowersox of Mifflinburg when the two were gunned down. The man responsible was identified as Christopher Fernanders, Campbell's 55-year-old ex-husband from Paxinos.
The attack was premeditated.
Fernanders had been stalking Campbell and had even placed a GPS tracking device on her vehicle. In the days leading up to the shooting, Campbell had obtained a protection-from-abuse order against him after he had threatened her life. Despite the order, Fernanders located Campbell and Bowersox at the restaurant. After the couple shared an embrace in the parking lot, Fernanders drove up and opened fire, killing them both. As he was returning to his truck, an armed bystander, Troy Sprenkle of Sunbury, who was waiting to be seated inside the restaurant, confronted Fernanders and shot him multiple times, wounding him. Authorities later hailed the bystander's actions, stating that he likely prevented further bloodshed.
Following the incident, law enforcement discovered a letter in Fernanders' vehicle detailing his plan to murder Campbell. He was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder, stalking, and violating a protection order. While recovering from his injuries under guard at a local medical center, he awaited arraignment for the killings. The Snyder County District Attorney confirmed that the bystander who intervened was justified in his use of deadly force and would not face any charges.
