Man Wanted For Questioning In Connection With Murder Of U.S. Marine In Camden
By Chelsea Karnash, Diana Rocco
CAMDEN, NJ (CBS) – Police in Camden are searching for a man wanted in connection with the shooting death of a Marine in the city on Sunday morning.
Twenty-seven-year-old Timothy Loper Jr., of Clementon and Blackwood, was shot multiple times at 2nd and Spruce Streets in Camden around 2:46 a.m. Sunday.
It appears that Loper, a former U.S. Marine, witnessed a fight in the parking lot of the 20 Horse Tavern and attempted to break it up.
"He was not participating in the fight, he was not involved. He was trying to play peacemaker," says Jason Laughlin, from the Camden County prosecutor's office.
Loper, who was a husband and the father of a six-year-old girl, had just started college. He leaves behind many family members who are mourning him, including his father.
"We're trying to cope with it the best we can," says Timothy Loper, Sr., his father. "We're a tight-knit, close family...to take one out, especially this way, hurts everyone."
The man wanted for questioning related to the killing is bearded, was wearing a sweater and has a muscular build. He was caught on video before the shooting.
Now, Loper's family wants their son's killer brought to justice.
"All we want is a little closure," Loper's father says. "It was a cowardly move. You took an innocent man for no reason."
Anyone with information on the person of interest is urged to contact Camden County Prosecutor's Office Detective John Hunsinger at (609) 548-1056 or Camden County Police Detective Lou Sanchez at (856) 757-7420. Information may also be emailed to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org.
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