Murder charge filed after fatal shooting at a Toms River Wawa lot

A murder charge has been filed against a 51-year-old Toms River man in the death of a driver shot in a Wawa parking lot in New Jersey, and authorities say he is still at large.

The shooting happened on the morning of Sept. 18, at the store where Route 37 meets Garfield Avenue. A report of gunfire brought officers there shortly after 7:20 a.m. They found Bruce Gress, 42, who lived in Toms River, behind the wheel of a black pickup truck with a gunshot wound to the head. Emergency responders flew him by helicopter to Neptune, where he died at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Suspect considered a fugitive

The gunman left the lot after the shooting, officials said. Investigators later named Douglas Cobb, 51, also of Toms River, as the person who fired the shot. The charges against him are murder, weapon possession offenses and being a certain person not permitted to possess a weapon. He has not been taken into custody, and prosecutors describe him as a fugitive from justice.

Cobb uses the name Douglas Green as well as the nickname “Bootknock,” authorities said. The vehicle he was last seen in is a black 2016 Acura MDX carrying New Jersey plate T93YJL. Earlier in the search, investigators said they were trying to track down a black Acura with damage to its front end.

What set off the shooting is not clear. Officials said it may have begun as a dispute between the two men, though they have not described what it was about. Few other details have been released.

How to reach investigators

Tips on where Cobb might be can go to the Major Crime Unit at the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, 732-929-2027, or to Toms River Township police, 732-349-0150.