Montgomery County Police are investigating a shooting that occurred on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at the parking lot of the Silver Spring Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Station at 8100 Georgia Avenue. 

According to MCPD, “At approximately 1:54 p.m., 3rd District officers responded to the Montgomery County Fire Rescue Station at 8110 Georgia Avenue for the report of a person who walked into the station, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. 


According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “Today, in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable Kevin Hessler sentenced defendant, Jean J. Pierre, 50, of Montgomery Village, to 40 years in prison. This is the maximum penalty for second-degree murder, the charge on which the defendant was convicted by a jury.

The jury deliberated for just two hours after a five-day trial in May 2023, prosecuted by Deputy State’s Attorney Ryan Wechsler and Assistant State’s Attorney Gabe Carrera.


Upon arrival, 3rd District officers located Tyrone Howard Brown inside of a car with an apparent gunshot wound. Before coming to a stop, the victim crashed the car into several parked vehicles in the apartment complex’s parking lot.


The investigation by detectives has revealed that the three suspects entered the store and two of the suspects removed merchandise from shelves and placed them in their totes. The three suspects were stopped by an employee as they were leaving the store. The male suspect then assaulted the employee and left the scene with the other two suspects.  Detectives reviewed the surveillance footage of the store and obtained a description of the suspects.


Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes detectives are looking for a 16-year-old wanted in connection with the shooting death of a Damascus man killed on Father’s Day. Isaiah Jamael Brown-Hawkins is accused of shooting and killing 32-year-old James Joel Austin on Sunday, June 18 in the 9800 block of Bethesda Church Road in Damascus.

At approximately 9:58 p.m., 5th District officers responded to the address for calls of a shooting. Officers located the victim in the parking lot of the apartment complex with an apparent gunshot wound. Austin was pronounced dead at the scene. Brown-Hawkins drove away in a Honda that was located in Washington, DC, however Brown-Hawkins has not been found.


Montgomery County Police are investigating a homicide that occurred last night in White Oak. According to MCPD, “At approximately 11:02 p.m. on Thursday, July 13, 3rd District officers were dispatched to the 1500 block of Heather Hollow Circle for a vehicle collision.

Upon arrival, officers found several cars that had been hit and the driver of the vehicle suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.  The male driver was transported to an area hospital, where he later died. There is no suspect information at this time and no one in custody.” We will post an update when additional information is available.


Per the office of the Montgomery County State’s Attorney: “Today, in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable Harry Storm, defendant, Jackson Garcia, 20, of Silver Spring, was convicted by a jury on charges of First-Degree Murder, Use of a Firearm in Commission of Crime of Violence, Armed Robbery and Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery. Garcia faces the potential of life in prison when he is sentenced on February 16th, 2024.

This stems from an incident on February 17th, 2022, at the intersection of Bradley Avenue and Fletcher Place in Rockville, where officers with Montgomery County Police and Rockville City Police found 22-year-old Jose Osvaldo Genao Romero suffering from a gunshot wound. He later died at an area hospital. A police investigation led to the arrests of Garcia and a co-defendant, the accused shooter, Malik D. Jefferson, 24 of Silver Spring. Jefferson is scheduled for trial on January 22nd, 2024.


Per MCPD:  Six suspects involved in a string of retail store pack thefts have been arrested. The six suspects; two adults and four juveniles, all from Washington, D.C., are accused of entering retail stores in groups and stealing large amounts of items from eleven Montgomery County stores between April 28 to June 15, 2023.

They are also suspected of pack thefts in D.C., and Anne Arundel County. During each of the thefts, the suspects used vehicles that were stolen or carjacked from D.C. The first of the two adults, 28-year-old Shaquille Pittman, is being held without bond. He is accused of stealing from Target on Western Ave (4/29/23), Ulta in the Congressional Shopping Center (5/8/23) and (6/15/23), Sephora in Pike and Rose (5/31/23), and The Nike Store on Arlington Road (6/8/23).


Per MCPD: Several people were injured and transported to area hospitals following an early morning shooting in Layhill. Montgomery County Department of Police 4th District officers responded to the rear of the Sole D’italia restaurant in the Norbeck-Layhill community at approximately 12:15 a.m., after multiple reports of shots being fired.

Investigators learned that there was an argument inside of the restaurant that spilled into the parking lot, where shots were fired. Investigators are working to determine who was involved in the shooting. This is an active investigation.


According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “After a bench trial in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable Karla Smith found defendant, Erick Odir Vidal-Fuentes, 39, of Hyattsville, guilty of Second-Degree Rape and Fourth-Degree Sex Offense. The trial concluded Tuesday, July 11, 2023.  Vidal-Fuentes faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on October 4th, 2023 at 9 a.m.

This stems from an incident on September 29th, 2020, at the Iglesia Pentecostal El Fin Viene on the 7500 block of New Hampshire Ave. in Takoma Park, where Vidal-Fuentes was serving as pastor. The victim was a parishioner. Vidal-Fuentes currently has another case pending for assault on an additional parishioner who came forward and testified during this trial.


Per Montgomery County Police: Fourth District officers responded to multiple reports of shots fired at approximately 12:15 a.m., followed by multiple reports of people shot to the rear of the Sole D’Italia Restaurant in the Norbeck-Layhill community.

Officers arrived on scene and found four victims with gunshot wounds. Two of the gunshot victims sustained serious, but non-life-threatening injuries; and the third and fourth victims sustained minor injuries. A fifth gunshot victim was transported by private automobile to an area hospital and was treated for a minor injury.  Officers applied a tourniquet to one of the victims.


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