A $35,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of a suspect in the “horrific” shooting death of an 8-year-old boy in Prince George’s County, Maryland, last Tuesday.
The Baltimore office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Tuesday it will add $10,000 on top of the $25,000 reward from Prince George’s County police in the investigation into the killing of Peyton “P.J.” Evans.
ATF offering $10,000 reward for info leading to arrest of those responsible for shooting, killing 8-year-old Peyton Evans on Aug 24 in Landover. Along with @PGPDNews up to $25,000 reward, total possible reward now up to $35,000. Call 888-ATF-TIPS or @PGCrimeSolvers 866-411-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/u1BUkqq3SP
— ATF Baltimore (@ATFBaltimore) August 31, 2021
Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz, during a news conference last week, referred to the shooting as a “horrific incident,” saying he wants to “assure our citizens that we are working diligently to find the people responsible for this senseless act of violence where one of our youngest citizens was taken from us.”
Evans was playing video games inside the home of a relative when he was struck by a bullet around 8:20 p.m. last Tuesday. He later died from his injuries, police said.
Aziz said that police are seeking the man who pulled the trigger but did not rule out the possibility of additional suspects.
“Right now we’re looking for the person who fired that weapon. So we’re looking for one person, but I can’t say if others are involved in it or not. [The] investigation is unfolding,” Aziz said. “And if it is more than one who was responsible, we’re going to get that person too. But right now, we know that one person … fired some shots that killed an 8-year-old kid.”
“The only thing I really can confirm is that the 8-year-old was not the target,” the chief said.
Aziz had a message for the prime suspect.
“Be a man,” he said. “Turn yourself in. Come forward. Be the man that you were not last night.”
