Chad Stuart, 31, was shot in the forehead in the predawn hours of September 24, 2022, after a verbal altercation in the parking lot of Villari’s Sports Bar in Franklinville, New Jersey. A resident of nearby Clayton, Stuart worked as a server at the Lake House Restaurant and coached youth basketball; colleagues and the league mourned him and the league created an award in his honor. He was flown to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, pronounced brain dead and died several days later; his family reported he donated organs.

Authorities arrested 25-year-old Walter Willy Gilliano at the scene. A Glock 19 was recovered. Gilliano was initially charged with attempted murder; after Stuart’s death prosecutors upgraded the charges to murder and added aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a weapon. Defense attorneys later argued the shooting was accidental while prosecutors said Gilliano had left the scene to retrieve the firearm. Prosecutors appealed a judge’s pretrial release decision, keeping Gilliano in custody pending further proceedings.

If anyone witnessed the argument or has information about what happened in the parking lot that night, please share what is known.