2 men charged following shooting at Silver Spring Taco Bell

A pair of men are being held without bond at Montgomery County, Maryland’s detention center in Rockville following a shooting at a Taco Bell Cantina in Silver Spring last month.

Montgomery County police said Souleymane Traore, 18, faces charges of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault and Maximus Jean Jerome, 19, faces multiple counts of second-degree assault.

The charges follow the pair’s July 1 arrest, when police said “items of evidentiary value were recovered” as a search warrant was being exacted at Traore’s residence.

Both men are from Silver Spring.

Police said officers responded to a report of a shooting at a Taco Bell Cantina at 8662 Colesville Road on June 23, around 6 p.m.

An investigation showed Traore and Jerome confronted three male victims inside the Taco Bell restaurant, which led to a fight.

“After Traore and Jerome exited the restaurant, Traore went back inside and held the victims at gunpoint. Moments later, when the brother of one of the victims arrived at the location and attempted to intervene, Traore put the handgun to the head of the victim’s brother and fired one round, causing a graze wound to his head. Traore and Jerome then left the scene,” a police news release stated.

The shooting victim was transported to a hospital with injuries that police said were not life-threatening.

A map of the area where the June 23 shooting happened is below.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

Matt Small

Matt joined WTOP News at the start of 2020, after contributing to Washington’s top news outlet as an Associated Press journalist for nearly 18 years.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up