In the late hours of a February night in Bridgeton, New Jersey, a gathering of friends and family at the home of George A. Lewis would take a tragic and violent turn. On February 15, 2014, the 36-year-old Black / African American man was hosting a party on Spruce Street when an altercation broke out. The dispute spilled outside, and in the ensuing chaos, George Lewis was shot once. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but the single gunshot wound proved to be fatal, and he succumbed to his injuries a short time later, leaving a community in shock and a family to grapple with a sudden and senseless loss.
The investigation into the death of George Lewis was immediately launched by the Bridgeton Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau in conjunction with the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office. In the initial stages of the investigation, authorities reached out to the public for any information that could lead to the person or persons responsible for the shooting.
For a time, the case remained without a suspect, and the circumstances surrounding the altercation that led to the fatal shot were pieced together through witness statements and evidence collected at the scene. The community was left to wonder if justice would ever be served for a man described as a beloved member of his community.
More than a year after the fatal shooting, a significant breakthrough was made in the case. Michael Russell, a former resident of Bridgeton who was already incarcerated on unrelated charges, was identified as the suspect in the shooting of George Lewis. In June of 2015, Russell was charged in connection with the death. He ultimately entered into a plea agreement, pleading guilty to a charge of aggravated manslaughter. As a result of his guilty plea, Michael Russell was sentenced to a 10-year prison term for his role in the death of George Lewis. He also faced additional time for charges of hindering apprehension and resisting arrest. The arrest and subsequent conviction of Michael Russell brought a measure of closure to the family of George Lewis and the Bridgeton community, though the details of what specifically led investigators to identify him as the shooter were not widely publicized.
