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Police ID Victim, Suspect In Deadly Gloucester County Shooting

By Steve Beck, Al Novack, Nicole Brewer

GLASSBORO, N.J. (CBS) – Police have identified both the victim and the suspect in a fatal shooting that happened in a Gloucester County neighborhood late Monday evening.

The shooting happened at about 11 p.m. inside a home in the unit block of Sherwood Lane in Glassboro, New Jersey.

According to investigators, Rita Sawyer was found shot to death inside the home. Authorities now say that her ex-husband, Charles Sawyer, was taken into custody after a brief foot-chase following the deadly shooting and is believed to be responsible for her murder.

Charles Sawyer is charged with first-degree murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. A gun was found near where he was apprehended. He is currently being held at the crisis center at Underwood Memorial Hospital in Woodbury.

The Sawyers had divorced back in 2004, and Rita Sawyer had recently complained to police that her ex-husband was stalking and harassing her. She did not, however, seek a restraining order, authorities said.

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