In the late hours of a Wednesday in Bridgeton, New Jersey, the life of Aulton S. Mears, a 29-year-old Black/African American male, was brought to an abrupt and violent end. On September 20, 2017, Mears was discovered unresponsive inside his vehicle at the intersection of Myrtle Street and Lakeview Avenue. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, and despite the arrival of medical personnel, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The initial investigation by law enforcement painted a stark
picture of the violence that had occurred. Numerous shell casings were found scattered in the vicinity of Mears' vehicle, indicating a fusillade of bullets had been fired. The Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office, in conjunction with local police, promptly classified the death as a homicide and began the arduous task of piecing together the events that led to the fatal shooting.
Despite the efforts of investigators, the case quickly grew cold. No suspects were publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with the murder of Aulton S. Mears. The case remains an open and unsolved homicide, one of several in Cumberland County that have left a lingering sense of unresolved justice for the community and the victim's family. Authorities have continued to appeal to the public for any information that might lead to a breakthrough in the investigation and provide answers to the questions that have surrounded Mears' death for years.
