Anne Arundel Co. 14-year-old is second teen arrested in Columbia murder investigation
BALTIMORE -- A 14-year-old from Anne Arundel County is the second teen suspect arrested in the murder of a 26-year-old man who was found shot to death in his car in the parking lot of an office building in Columbia, Howard County, last weekend.
Police said the teen was taken into custody at his high school in Severn on Wednesday.
Kendrick McLellan was found dead around 2:14 a.m. last Saturday, days after he was reported missing from Baltimore. He was in a vehicle in a business's parking lot in the 8800 block of Centre Park Drive in Columbia. Police said he was killed around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9.
A Howard High student under the supervision of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services wearing an ankle monitor was arrested at his school on Tuesday. A loaded gun was found in his backpack, police said.
The 14-year-old and the 17-year-old have been charged as adults with first-degree murder. They are being held without bond at the Howard County Detention Center.
Police believe McLellan and the two teenagers knew each other.
"We believe the victim picked up both suspects from a residence in Ellicott City and drove to that location in Columbia where he was shot," said Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der.
Howard student had prior "serious alleged violent offenses"
Howard County Public Schools Superintendent Bill Barnes expressed frustrations about gaps in communication with the state's Juvenile Justice System. He said the 17-year-old recently enrolled in the district and received support from DJS.
Barnes added that only after a bail hearing this week that he learned of the teen's past "very serious alleged violent offenses" in another county.
"If this information and data had been available to me before yesterday, I assure our community I would not approve a placement at Howard High School," Barnes said. "Good decisions are predicated on accurate data and I now know that there is important data not available to our school system that informs our placement."
The superintendent plans to create an advisory board to explore safety measures and make recommendations for improvements to the Board of Education.
With at least 48 students enrolled in the district who have committed reportable offenses, been detained or committed by DJS, Barnes said staff will conduct individual case reviews.
