By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
Six-year-old boy shot and killed in Prince George’s County
Ahsan Julian Payton of D.C., one of three people shot during a Fourth of July celebration in Temple Hills, Md., died on Saturday, July 6 .
Ahsan was shot in the 4500 block of Akron Street around 8 p.m. on July 4 during an annual holiday neighborhood gathering which has never reported any incidents of violence. According to police, the other two victims, a man and a woman, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and a graze wound, respectively. A reward of up to $25,000 has been offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the case.
Overall, 19 were shot and five killed in D.C. over the Fourth of July weekend. During a recent press conference, Ashan Benedict, second in command at MPD, told reporters that from Friday afternoon thru Tuesday morning of the Fourth of July holiday, the 19 people shot included a 16-year-old boy. Officers said that with so many people now armed with guns in the District, something as simple as a traffic accident or related dispute often escalates to a homicide.
To reduce the number of similar tragedies, the District recently initiated Go Teams – teams of violence interrupters and city employees from various agencies who set up camp in 18 areas of the city known for violence.
The numbers suggest that violent crime in D.C. is related to geography. In D.C., the area east of the Anacostia River represents 17 of the 19 people who were shot and where four of the five victims were killed. In the area west of the river, where at least 80 percent of Washingtonians live, there were two shootings and one homicide.
Heatwave results in four Maryland deaths– all in Prince George’s County
The heat-related death toll in June has increased to four, all in Prince George’s County. Meanwhile, several hundred Marylanders have been treated with heat-related ailments in emergency rooms at hospitals statewide because of the sweltering weather that has settled over Maryland in recent weeks. On Tuesday, July 9, the “feel-like” temperature reached 109 degrees in some parts of the state.
State health officials have urged Marylanders to protect themselves during the summer months, issuing safety recommendations to help residents stay cool.
“We continue to strongly encourage everyone to practice safety while in the heat. Tuesday and Wednesday are poised to be bad as well,” Chase Cook, communications director for the Maryland Department of Health, said in a statement.
According to department officials, the first heat-related death of 2024 was a 59-year-old Hispanic man who lived in Prince George’s County. Three other deaths have followed including two over 65 and one between 45 and 64 years of age – two of the victims were African American while the third was listed as other.
Last year, the Maryland Department of Health recorded a total of nine heat-related deaths during the heat season – an increase in five deaths from 2022 – which was one of the lowest death tolls of the last decade.
A heat advisory was implemented for July 9 and 10 with temperatures in the upper 90’s and feels-like temperatures in the triple digits. Those who work outdoors are recommended to take frequent breaks indoors or in shaded area. If possible, everyone should limit time outdoors to the early morning or evening.
Bowie police join local authorities, search for suspects in rash of armed bank ‘jugging’
An armed bank “jugging” occurred on Saturday, July 6, at a PNC located on Stonybrook Drive in Bowie, Md.
“Jugging” refers to a crime in which a suspect follows victims and sets them up to be robbed after they withdraw money from a bank. The Stonybrook Drive incident took place at 11:06 a.m. in the morning. Bowie police later recovered the car involved in Saturday’s robbery, an Acura RDX, and have released surveillance tapes that show the thieves in action.
The armed robbery joins a rash of similar incidents throughout the region in which Blacks have been the primary victims. Officials continue to search for suspects in five bank jugging cases that have occurred within the past two weeks.
Anne Arundel County police recently pursued three bank jugging suspects in a 30-mile car chase, which began in Annapolis and ended in a fiery crash along Southern Avenue in Southeast D.C. Two of the suspects died, while a third was critically injured.
Bowie Police Chief Dwayne Preston, in a statement released after the fatal car crash, said the city has seen a surge in citizen robberies over the last 14 days.
“Suspects have targeted individuals departing from banks or financial institutions and robbed them onsite,” Preston said. “I find it disturbing that these offenses are being committed against our hardworking residents by individuals from neighboring communities.”
Officials are asking residents to help keep their community safe by reporting suspicious people or vehicles and by traveling with at least one additional person when making withdrawals. They also noted that the robberies are occurring throughout the state in multiple counties, although an exact number could not be provided.
“What we’ve seen is that these things happen in succession,” Preston said. “So, it’s not occurring just here in Bowie. Generally, the same suspects have been hitting either banks in Anne Arundel County or other parts of Prince George’s County, but it’s the same suspects. And it appears to be more than one crew.”
In each case, the robbers used vehicles that had been reported stolen with the primary getaway route appearing to be Route 50, from Maryland back in the District. However, it remains unclear if the crews committing the robberies are connected or if they are simply committing the same type of crime.
Preston also recommended that citizens avoid displaying cash or other valuables in their hands because “walking out with cash and envelopes and things like that, makes you an easier target.”
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