An elderly millionaire philanthropist lawyer was gunned down inside his Maryland retirement home in a Valentine’s Day shooting that left officials scrambling to find the gunman.
Robert Fuller Jr., 87, was found unresponsive with a gunshot wound in an apartment at the Cogir Potomac Senior Living facility in Potomac, the Montgomery County Police said.
The prominent attorney was pronounced dead at the scene after police were called to the center just after 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, according to officials.
Fuller appeared to have major trauma to the head, and homicide detectives ruled he had been shot.
The medical examiner is investigating the cause and manner of death, according to officials.
Police have not released information on any suspects, and no arrests have been made.
Fuller, a known figure in central Maine, was a retired Navy reserve officer and made his fortune as an attorney, NBC Washington reported.
In 2021, Fuller donated $1.64 million to the City of Augusta to make state-of-the-art improvements to the Cony High School athletic facility, which was renamed to Fuller Field.
He gifted the money to the school out of a belief that when “a high school has a continuing history of athletic success, it fosters a sense of community pride.”
Fuller had also made financial contributions to several organizations in the Pine Tree State, including the MaineGeneral Medical Center and Kennebec Historical Society, according to the City of Augusta.
The city paid tribute to Fuller after his death was announced on Monday.
“More than his philanthropy, Mr. Fuller believed in Augusta, in its people, its future, and its potential. He supported projects not simply as investments, but as acts of community stewardship. On behalf of the City Council, City staff, and the residents of Augusta, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Fuller’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” a city spokesperson told WMTW.
Fuller’s ancestor, Melville Fuller, was the eighth Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court between 1888 and 1910.
The elder Fuller, a Democrat appointed by President Grover Cleveland, established the “Separate but Equal” doctrine in Plessy v. Ferguson, upholding that state-sponsored racial segregation did not violate the 14th Amendment.
A statue of Chief Justice Fuller was gifted to Maine’s Kennebec County by Robert Fuller Jr., but was later removed after county commissioners voted to give it back to the descendant, according to CentralMaine.com.
Fuller paid for the removal from the Kennebec County courthouse grounds, the outlet reported.
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