Suspect In Custody After 2 Women Killed At Maryland Senior Living Facility
CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. (WJZ) -- Police have a suspect in custody after two women were killed in a Friday morning shooting inside a Prince George's County senior living facility.
The deadly shooting happened about 9 a.m. at Gateway Village, a senior living facility on Suffolk Avenue in Capitol Heights, according to the Prince George's County Police Department.
Within 90 minutes of their arrival, investigators found two shooting victims inside the center and took the shooting suspect into custody, authorities said.
Pointing to the need to preserve the integrity of the investigation, authorities did not immediately release details such as the identities of the victims and suspect, or a possible motive.
During a Friday afternoon briefing, however, the Capitol Heights and Prince George's County police departments provided reporters with a timeline detailing the sequence of events.
About 9:10 a.m., Capitol Heights police were called to a disturbance at the senior living facility, Police Chief Mark Cummings said. Upon arrival, Cummings said, officers encountered a man who said "there was a shooter in the building."
Once inside the building, officers located a shooting victim in the hallway and a second shooting victim in an office, the chief said. At that point, they secured the scene and called for backup.
When Prince George's County police arrived on scene, they set up a perimeter around the facility and activated the department's conflict management team, Deputy Chief Lakina Webster said.
Webster said her agency's officers then located the unnamed suspect on the third floor of the facility and "he was taken into custody without incident."
It's unclear whether the two shooting victims lived or worked at Gateway Village. Webster said investigators haven't confirmed those details.
Authorities also wouldn't address speculation that the suspect is a facility resident who recently lost his job.
"To keep the integrity of the investigation, we're not going to release that information at this time," Webster said.
A facility resident, identified only as Donald, told WJLA that he saw the shooter surrender before police took him into custody.
"I saw him, the shooter, lying in the hallway with his arms stretched out and his weapon like six feet in front of him," Donald told WJLA. "He told me to let the police know he was no threat. He was ready, he was waiting for them."
Donald said when police first arrived, they treated him with suspicion in an apparent case of mistaken identity.
"When they get there, they manhandled me. They pushed me up against the wall, twisted my arm behind me and would not listen," Donald said. "They did not realize I was the one who called them."
In the wake of the shooting, county officials turned their attention to the welfare of the facility's 89 residents. Some of them sheltered in place while others fled to a local fire station.
"We are really focusing on providing what we can in the way of medicine and food," Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said.
This remains an active scene. Prelim: at approx 9:15 am, we were called for a shooting at a senior living facility. As of 10:25am, we have one suspect in custody. Two deceased victims. We are searching the facility for any additional victims as well as suspects per protocol.
— PGPDNEWS (@PGPDNews) October 8, 2021