Update: Police Release Names of Man, Woman Found Dead in Canterbury Park

[Updated at 11:48 a.m. on Friday, May 17]

The death of a man and woman whose bodies were discovered late Thursday in a Montclair park is being treated as an isolated incident, and authorities say they have the gun believed used in the killings.

Police responded to Canterbury Park after gunshots were reported around 10 p.m. 

Brandon Brown, 26, of Montclair, and Shanae Q. Howard, 24, of Orange, were found dead near a bench in front of a playground, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. The two were pronounced dead at 10:40 p.m. 

Police have not detailed the circumstances or manner of their deaths, but said the two had a "dating relationship." 

The fact that a gun was found in the park and that authorities say no danger exists to the community, however, increased the likelihood that police are investigating the deaths as a possible murder-suicide.

Essex County Chief of Detectives Anthony Ambrose said investigators are waiting for the results of ballistics testing and autopsies before making a determination on how the pair died.

Bill Carr, whose property abuts the park on Pierpont Drive, said he was sleeping Thursday night when his daughter woke him up to let him know about the police in the park. Carr said neither he nor his daughter heard gunshots. 

"I saw a woman that had obviously blood on her head," Carr said. "Her top was pulled down and she was laying face up." Carr said the man lay at her feet on his side. 

He said he has lived next to Canterbury Park for 15 years and was not aware of any gun violence occurring in the park during that time.

"Nobody wants this kind of thing to happen in your neighborhood," he said. "This kind of thing can happen anywhere."

Montclair Police and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, along with more than a dozen local and county police units surrounded the park Thursday night.

Authorities were conducting their investigation in the park Friday morning with the area surrounding the playground cordoned off with police tape. 

A man who identified himself as a cousin of Howard's walked up to the site where the bodies were found Friday morning holding two red candles. He said he and others plan to keep vigil in the park Friday night.

Not far from the police tape, people could be seen exercising and walking in the park.

Canterbury Park, which borders Glen Ridge, West Orange and Orange, is located between two cul-de-sacs, Planchet and Pierpont drives. 

Councilwoman Renee Baskerville, who lives nearby and was at the park until early Friday, described the area around Canterbury Park as quiet.

“For all they years that I have been here there haven’t been cases of violence ... certainly nothing involving weapons,” she said.

Baskerville said neighbors consider the park so safe that when upgrades were made recently the decision was made not to install lights.

“This for me just reinforces the need to continue to work with people in the state and across the nation to strengthen our gun control laws,” Baskerville said.

Michael D'Onofrio and Craig McCarthy contributed to this article.