In Millville, New Jersey, the summer evening of July 10, 2023, turned tragic for 14-year-old Chelmar Townsend. Known affectionately as 'Mar Mar' to his friends and family, the young man was in Waltman Park on City Park Drive when an argument broke out between his friends and another group of youths around 10:20 p.m. As the confrontation escalated, someone produced a gun.
Sensing the danger, Townsend, a promising football player who was just days away from a physical that would clear him
to play in high school, turned and ran. He was struck by a bullet in the back as he fled. Millville police officers, responding to reports of gunfire, found the teenager with gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival. His family remembers him as a homebody who loved playing video games, watching football, and was deeply passionate about playing the sport himself.
The death of Chelmar Townsend, the fourth teenager to be fatally shot in Cumberland County in a month, sent ripples of grief and outrage through the community. His parents have publicly pleaded for justice for their son. Despite their pleas and an ongoing investigation by the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office and the Millville Police Department, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. The case is now considered an open homicide investigation, and authorities continue to ask for anyone with information to come forward. A GoFundMe was created to help his family with funeral costs, and a candlelight vigil was held at Lakeside Middle School, from which he had recently graduated.
