Baltimore County attorney shot, killed by son-in-law in dispute over children, police say
A father from Bel Air, Maryland, has been charged with murder in the shooting death of his father-in-law, a Baltimore County attorney.
Police said 41-year-old Mark Ryan shot and killed 74-year-old Robert MacMeekin at MacMeekin's home in Phoenix, Maryland, on Saturday afternoon. Ryan is now charged with first-degree murder.
On Monday, a judge denied Ryan's bond, citing concerns for the safety of the victim's family and the public.
Police: Ryan admitted to killing his father-in-law
According to court documents released Monday, Ryan allegedly hit his wife at their Bel Air home on Friday and "suggested that he was going to retrieve a firearm from his gun safe." She left the house and went to her parents' home in Phoenix, where the couple's two children were spending the night.
She obtained a temporary protective order against her husband on Saturday morning. Ryan spoke to his wife's father and said he wanted to bring his children back home to Bel Air. His father-in-law told him, "he was going to keep the kids through the weekend," the documents stated. MacMeekin also told Ryan he would need to be in court on Monday for a hearing on the protective order.
Ryan then drove to MacMeekin's home and confronted his father-in-law on the patio, according to investigators.
"Mark then pulled a handgun from his pocket and pointed it at Robert," police said in the documents. "A struggle then ensued." Ryan's wife and mother-in-law told investigators, "Mark fired several rounds at Robert, ultimately striking and killing him."
Police said Ryan then dropped the gun, sat in a chair, and waited to be arrested.
According to the documents, "during his post Miranda interview, Mark confessed to shooting and killing Robert, stating that he was angry that Robert was keeping his children from him."
Ryan's defense attorney, Richard Karceski, told CBS News Baltimore, a shot was fired during a struggle over the gun. He added that Ryan had no prior record and the shooting was not intentional.
"It is my opinion, based on what information that I have, that he admitted that the gun went off in the course of the struggle, as opposed to him taking, pointing, and shooting the gun at his father-in-law. It's quite a difference," Karceski said.
Law firm: "We are devastated"
MacMeekin was an attorney at Fine, Kelly & MacMeekin in Timonium. According to the law firm's website, MacMeekin graduated from Michigan State in 1973 and earned his law degree in 1975 from the University of Baltimore Law School.
"We are devastated by the news of the tragic passing of our friend and colleague, Robert MacMeekin," the firm said in a statement to CBS News Baltimore Monday.
"As a legal advocate, Bob worked tirelessly to advance the needs of the clients he served. As a result, he earned the trust and respect of not only his clients, but also the legal professionals he came into contact with within the community," the firm said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his loving family for whom he was always protective and completely devoted."