Ronald Gwaltney, who was fatally shot June 24, was remembered by his girlfriend and brother as "a jack of all trades."
NEWARK -- Rochelle White and Ronald Gwaltney had just gotten back to their apartment on the 300 block of South 7th Street after grabbing dinner at a new restaurant.
The two were settling in for the night on June 24. It was time for cocktails.
That's when the couple of eight years heard banging at their door. Gwaltney answered, assuming it was a friend or neighbor, but was instead greeted by gunfire.
The 45-year-old city resident who was known by most as "Woody" fell to the ground, bleeding from five gunshot wounds, his girlfriend said.
City police responded to the shooting about 10:30 p.m. Gwaltney died a little more than an hour later.
"Who would possibly do such a thing to such a caring guy?" White asked during an interview Thursday outside the home of Gwaltney's brother, who is also named after their father Ronald Gwaltney. "We're frazzled -- totally frazzled, to say the least. It's devastating."
After hearing what she described as the sound of firecrackers, White said she ran upstairs to comfort the man she planned to marry.
"He was saying he couldn't breathe," she said. "I just kept telling him that I love him. ... We would've been together forever."
After the gunfire, police found a second victim shot near the scene, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly, of the Homicide Unit, has said.
That person, whose name was not released by authorities, was listed in stable condition at the time. White and Gwaltney's brother said they do not know the identity of that victim.
White remembered her best friend as a handyman -- "a jack of all trades" -- who would often fix up neighbors's homes, whether it be flooring, electrical, doors or plumbing. If it was broken, Woody could fix it, she said.
The two lived together on South 7th Street for at least three years with their three cats and two dogs. White said Woody would often play football with children on the block, buying them juice or ice cream from a nearby store.
Funeral services for Gwaltney, who leaves behind a 26-year-old daughter, were this morning at the Cotton Funeral Home on 130 Main Street in Orange.
As for Gwaltney's brother, he said he wishes senseless killings would stop -- not just in Newark, but across the country.
"I don't watch the news anymore," the 44-year-old said. "But I can't even not turn on the TV to see violence. It just comes in the house."
Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozicka. Find NJ.com on Facebook.