A Maryland man has been charged with murder and attempted murder after a series of shootings Sunday in Upper Marlboro that left one man dead and two other people injured.
Prince George’s County police said Damonte Marcel Williams, 26, of Upper Marlboro, is accused of randomly targeting four people — one who was killed, two who were seriously hurt and one who was not hit.
Police Chief George Nader said the rampage began shortly after 7 a.m., when officers were called to Watkins Park Plaza for a report of an unresponsive man. They found 65-year-old Joseph Holt III, of Upper Marlboro, dead inside his car from a gunshot wound.
Nearly 13 hours later, around 8:10 p.m., officers were called to the 12000 block of Darlenen Street for reports of a shooting and found a man shot inside his vehicle.
As police investigated, they found a second victim, a woman, inside her vehicle on Cambleton Drive. She had been shot in the stomach, according to Nader.
Both the man and woman were taken to the hospital. Police described the man as being in stable condition and woman as being in critical, but stable, condition.
A third person in the area had been shot at while in their vehicle, but was not struck, police said in a news release.
Police quickly canvassed the area and found a person of interest on Cambleton Drive. A rifle was recovered and has been linked to Holt’s killing earlier in the day.
Police do not believe the shooter knew any of the victims, and that they were “randomly targeted.”
“We don’t think it was a D.C. Sniper type incident, but we do believe one individual was responsible for all of those shootings,” Nader said.
He added that there is no ongoing threat to the community. As for a motive, Nader said it remains under investigation.
“There may be robberies, but there may be some other significance that comes up with this individual as we explore a little bit more into their history,” he said.
Nader also commended the bravery of the officers who took the person of interest into custody.
“If they had not acted as fast as they did … this individual would not have been apprehended as fast as they were, and we don’t know what the other outcomes could be from that,” he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Prince George’s County Police’s Homicide Unit at 301-516-2512.
