Friday’s deadly scene at a La Plata, Maryland, home came about after a man went to kill his former girlfriend and her family before turning the gun on himself, according to authorities.
Charles County Sheriff’s Office deputies said Saturday that 28-year-old Andre Sales entered the house and shot and killed his ex-girlfriend Sara Mann, 21; her mother Sommaly Mann, 48; her younger brother Kai Mann, 18; and 23-year-old Jovon Watson, an unrelated male from White Plains.
Sales, who didn’t live at the La Plata home, then shot and killed himself, according to deputies.
Two young children identified as the children of Sara Mann were initially unaccounted for, but located safe and unharmed a short time after the killing was first reported.
Detectives have been collecting evidence and interviewing the victims’ family and friends to determine a motive, according to a press release. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore will confirm the exact cause of death for each person.
Court documents indicate that Sales was charged with domestic violence in April 2021, but the charges were dismissed when the petitioner failed to appear. A judge ordered a six-month peace order against him on April 2 of last year, requiring him to have no contact with the petitioner.
Charles County deputies and La Plata police originally arrived at the single-family home in the 3000 block of Wildflower Drive around 4 p.m. Friday following a report of a shooting.
They found five adults dead inside the house.
NBC Washington reporter Mauricio Casillas told WTOP on Friday that neighbors were shocked to see what was going on while “seeing their neighborhood covered in crime tape as police lights continue to illuminate a very quiet and calm neighborhood.”
Below is a map of where the incident took place.
NBC Washington’s Mauricio Casillas contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with information on the two young children’s relation to the victims, as well as information about Sales’ previous charges.
