Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) detectives have arrested two suspects in connection with the January 2 shooting death of an 18-year-old man in Gaithersburg (near Damascus).
According to MCPD, a 16-year-old from Gaithersburg and a 20-year-old from Montgomery Village have been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery in the death of Taeyon Malachi Prather.
On Friday, January 2, 2026, at approximately 7:21 p.m., Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to the 23600 block of Rolling Fork Way for a report of a person down in a parking lot. Prather was found at the scene and pronounced dead.
Investigators determined that Prather had gone to the location to sell a jacket. During the transaction, he was shot, and detectives say the jacket and other personal items were taken following the shooting.
On January 5, Crime Solvers of Montgomery County received a tip that led detectives to identify the 16-year-old suspect. Continued investigation also linked the 20-year-old suspect to the homicide.
Arrest warrants for both suspects were obtained on January 11. On January 12, the 20-year-old was taken into custody at his home in Montgomery Village, and the 16-year-old was arrested at his home in Gaithersburg.
Both suspects are being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit while awaiting bond hearings.
