Relatives remembered Tomeka Kamwani as a devoted mother whose death left four children without her care.
SWEDESBORO, N.J. — Family and friends gathered to mourn Tomeka Patricia Kamwani after the 41-year-old nurse and mother of four was killed inside her home in a shooting relatives described as domestic violence.
The public grief came days after police responded to a shooting in the 300 block of Broad Street and found Kamwani dead. Her family said her former fiancé killed her and then died by suicide. Two of her children were inside the home when the shooting happened, relatives said, but neither was physically hurt.
At Carney’s Point Recreational Park, the gathering became both a memorial and a portrait of Kamwani’s life before the violence. Relatives said she worked as a nurse at several places, including Autumn Lake Memorial Bridge Nursing Home. Her sister, Lakiecha Brooks, said Kamwani’s patients kept in contact with her after leaving her care. Brooks said the support from strangers, neighbors and friends had been overwhelming in the days after the killing.
Kamwani’s four children were named in a family fundraiser as Gavyn, Aiden, Bryson and Ava. Brooks wrote that the children were “the center of her world” and that Kamwani showed up for them with strength and love. The fundraiser was created to help cover burial costs and the children’s needs, including housing, education, daily care and emotional support.
The family’s mourning has been sharpened by what they say happened before the shooting. Brooks said Kamwani had obtained a restraining order against the man weeks earlier. Reports citing court proceedings said the man had been arrested in February after allegedly breaking into Kamwani’s home, hitting her and threatening her. Prosecutors asked that he remain jailed until trial, but a judge allowed him to post bond with no-contact conditions.
During that earlier court hearing, a prosecutor said Kamwani reported that the man mocked the security of her home. The prosecutor said he laughed, told her she needed more locks and showed her a card he used to enter the residence. That statement has become one of the stark details in the case because the later shooting also happened inside her home.
Police have not publicly released the man’s name or a detailed account of the final moments before Kamwani was killed. The Woolwich Township Police Department said officers and the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office were investigating in the Broad Street area and said there was no ongoing threat to the public. Officials have not announced additional findings about the weapon, entry into the home or the exact sequence of events.
Relatives at the vigil said Kamwani’s death left a hole in a close family. Barbera Brooks Faltz, her aunt, said the family had spent time together at functions and ordinary gatherings. “We thought he was a good person,” Faltz said of the man relatives identified as the shooter. She said she still could not believe what happened.
As of Monday, the investigation remained in the hands of local police and county prosecutors. The next public step is expected to be any final investigative summary explaining the shooting, the prior court case and how the man reached Kamwani’s home.
Author note: Last updated April 27, 2026.