Suspect arrested in car meetup shooting that left 1 dead, 1 injured in Prince George's County
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. - Police have arrested the suspect accused of shooting and killing a 26-year-old man and injuring another at a late-night car meet-up in Prince George’s County over the weekend.
The suspect has been identified as 22-year-old Raheem Adams of Stafford, Virginia.
Prince George’s County police say Adams fatally shot John Phipps of Waldorf around 1:45 a.m. during a car meet-up at a shopping center parking lot in the 6400 block of Marlboro Pike.
Phipps was found inside of his car and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. At this time, police believe Phipps was not the intended target.
According to court documents, Adams was upset with the way one vehicle at the meet-up had gotten too close to him. Shortly after, he decided to fire a gun at the direction of that vehicle but instead of hitting the vehicle police say he was aiming for, he struck Phipps, who was behind the intended target.
A second man was injured in the shooting but his wounds were non-life threatening. A woman was also somehow injured in the incident but police have not clarified what may have happened to her.
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Police say information provided by the community was key in their investigation.
Officers were able to find Adams at his home in Stafford County and he was taken into custody Wednesday morning.
He is being held on charges of first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree attempted murder and related charges in Virginia, pending extradition to Prince George’s County.
Police say the investigation remains open as they seek more information on the car meetup.
"These car meets are a true concern to law enforcement both in our region and across the country. When the department is made aware of specific, credible intelligence, the agency plans accordingly and allocates resources to either prevent or disperse the gathering," Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz said.
Earlier this month, Maryland lawmakers voted to approve a bill cracking down on reckless driving across the state.
Anyone with additional information on this incident is asked to call 301-516-2512 or submit a tip online.