Police located a suspect in the domestic shooting of a woman within minutes Tuesday morning, but the suspect was found dead of what was believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, they said.
Prince George’s County police said they received a call for a shooting at 7:15 a.m. at the Heather Hill apartment complex on Fisher Road in Temple Hills.
“I saw my ex neighbors, her car,” said John Jones, who used to live at the complex and had stopped by Tuesday morning. “The windows were busted out and the windshield wiper was just flowing,” he said. “… When I got there, I seen her slumped over in the seat. And she was conscious a little bit at first, just hollering the name out, the name out of who did it, who did it, and I just went ahead and called 911.”
The victim was able to tell officers her boyfriend shot her and gave them a description of his vehicle, they said.
About 7:25 a.m., while en route to the call, patrol officers saw an SUV that matched the description the victim had given. They stopped the SUV in the parking lot of a shopping center in the 4800 block of St. Barnabas Road, near Raleigh Road. The windows were heavily tinted, and officers ordered the driver to get out of the vehicle, according to police.
After the driver didn’t respond, police began to treat the incident as a barricade situation. When they next approached the SUV, they discovered the the driver dead inside, Deputy Chief James Keleti said.
Authorities said they believe the suspect shot and killed himself. He was the only person inside the SUV, and a gun was recovered, they said.
Police said according to a preliminary investigation, the deceased driver is believed to be the suspect in the shooting. His name has not yet been released.
“This is a very tragic incident. It’s going to be very difficult for the victim, the victim’s family, and the suspect’s family,” Keleti said during a news conference Tuesday morning. “Our hearts go out to everyone involved.”
The victim was in stable condition at a hospital.
‘My heart just got to racing,’ witness said
A large area outside the Heather Hill apartment complex was roped off.
Jones, who called 911, said the victim used to be his neighbor and he was so shaken up that he didn’t go into work Tuesday.
“My heart just got to racing. It got to racing real hard,” he said. “I was like, ‘Oh no, not somebody that I know.’ You know, it just really hit home.”
Jones said he used to live in the complex and had returned to pick up his mail when the shooting happened.
“I heard three gunshots, and it was real close,” he said.
Then, he said, he saw an SUV speeding from the complex and went to take a closer look. That’s when he discovered the victim.
Jones said he’s praying for her — and the suspect.
“That was my neighbor. She spoke to me every morning, every time she see me come out,” he said. “I feel like it’s like a family member.”
Police weren’t yet able to comment on whether there were any prior calls for service involving the couple, saying the case is still under investigation.
‘I work here every day’: Shopping center employees shaken by incident
St. Barnabus Road was closed for several hours in the area of the shopping center, but it has since reopened.
The shopping center is about five minutes away from the initial shooting scene.
“Since this thing happened, it was shocking for me,” said Salman Zia, the manager of the Citgo gas station at the shopping center. “Not just for me, my coworkers, a lot of our customers. I work here every day …. Everyone was feeling, kind of, pain.”
Postal worker Kayhonne Shelton-Wooten said, “It’s mind-blowing, because you never would think that actually something like this would happen, especially this close to where I work.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
