WATCHUNG — Ronald Lattimore, a one-time acting police chief in Plainfield and member of a prominent family in that city, killed himself this week at his home in Watchung, authorities confirmed today. He was 52.
Lattimore, a lieutenant in the department, was found dead in the garage of his Emerald Drive house on Wednesday night, killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano.
The Lattimore family is well-known in the city, particularly in the police department, where Ronald Lattimore’s brother Michael served as the city’s public safety director until 2004. His nephew Keith recently retired as a captain.
"The Plainfield Police Division has suffered an untimely and devastating loss," Martin Hellwig, the current public safety director, said in a statement. "Myself, co-workers, many close friends, and acquaintances of Lt. Ron Lattimore have been deeply affected."
Michael Lattimore, who leads the Rutgers police department in Newark, said Ronald was the youngest of his brothers. They were counted among 16 siblings.
"He’s probably the only brother I never had an argument with in my life," Michael Lattimore said yesterday. "That’s the truth. We just clicked real well."
Ronald Lattimore was married and had no children.