On the evening of March 27, 2023, a fire alarm brought first responders to a motel on Route 130 in Gloucester City, New Jersey, where a grim discovery awaited them. Inside one of the rooms, authorities found the bodies of Tabitha Price, a 56-year-old White woman from Gulf Shores, Alabama, and her boyfriend, 52-year-old Steven Smith of Atco, New Jersey. Both had been fatally shot.
The call came in around 6:30 p.m. As firefighters worked to extinguish a blaze that had been intentionally set in a separate room at the Rodeway Inn, police began a double homicide investigation. Within two days, detectives identified a person of interest in the killings: Vaughn Perkins, a 53-year-old from Philadelphia.
Authorities determined Perkins was the individual who had caused the fire and charged him with second-degree aggravated arson while also naming him as the person of interest in the deaths of Price and Smith.
The search for Perkins intensified on Thursday, March 30, after he was connected to another shooting in Philadelphia. In that incident, Perkins allegedly opened fire on two men who were sitting on a porch, critically injuring one, after they reportedly laughed at him for hitting a curb while parking his car. Later that day, police in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, about 65 miles away, were alerted that the armed and dangerous suspect might be in their area.
Local officers spotted Perkins and attempted a traffic stop, but he fled, leading them on a short pursuit. The chase ended when Perkins drove into a residential backyard and his vehicle became disabled. A standoff ensued. Police said Perkins had a rifle with a scope across his chest and did not follow their commands. Officers then shot and killed him at the scene.
As of April 2023, the investigation into the homicides of Tabitha Price and Steven Smith remained open. While Vaughn Perkins was the primary person of interest, he died before any homicide charges could be filed. Authorities have stated that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
