Hassan Shahid, a 32-year-old male, died on August 5, 2017, in a tragic event that unfolded across Morris Plains and Morris Township, New Jersey. His death was the final act in a murder-suicide that also claimed the life of his ex-girlfriend, 28-year-old Laurel R. Chasmar, a U.S. Marine veteran. The events of that early Saturday morning were the culmination of a period of harassment that Chasmar had reported to the police.
Shahid and Chasmar had been in a relationship after meeting as colleagues at Novartis. After Chasmar ended the relationship, she reported to police that Shahid was harassing her. Despite advice from law enforcement to obtain a restraining order, she had not done so. In the time leading up to the fatal encounter, Shahid had been lying in wait for Chasmar to return to her apartment at The Highlands at Morris Plains.
To avoid detection, he had reportedly borrowed a car.
In the early morning hours, as Chasmar arrived home, Shahid ambushed her in the parking garage of her apartment complex. He fired multiple shots from a. 45 caliber handgun, striking both parked vehicles and grazing Chasmar. She attempted to flee to the common entrance of her building but was unable to unlock the door before Shahid fatally shot her.
The sound of the gunfire alerted the Morris Plains police, who were stationed nearby. As they arrived at the scene, they encountered Shahid. He fled across the street into Morris Township, where he then died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Law enforcement officials later confirmed that the incident was being investigated as a murder-suicide. As Hassan Shahid was the sole perpetrator and died at the scene, no arrests were made in connection with the death of Laurel Chasmar.
