Stephanie Horton, a 44-year-old female, tragically lost her life on July 24, 2020, following a violent encounter at her workplace in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. She was working as a patient services representative at a urology office when a man, later identified as Bruce Gomola Jr., became agitated regarding an appointment for his father. Horton attempted to de-escalate the situation and discuss the matter with him in the hallway.
The verbal confrontation quickly turned fatal when Gomola, an off-duty corrections officer at the time, pushed Horton and then drew a. 40-caliber handgun. He fired a single shot into her chest. The bullet passed through her body and struck another patient in the knee, causing non-life-threatening injuries. Stephanie Horton was rushed to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where she was pronounced dead later that afternoon.
Immediately after the shooting, Gomola fled the scene in his vehicle.
However, reportedly at his father's urging, he returned to the medical office and surrendered to a Mount Laurel police detective. He was subsequently arrested and faced multiple charges, including murder and aggravated assault.
In February 2023, a jury found Bruce Gomola Jr. guilty of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree aggravated assault. The jury did not convict him on the more serious charge of murder. His conviction brought a conclusion to the legal proceedings surrounding the senseless act of violence that cut short Stephanie Horton's life.
