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A Sunday morning calm in a community near Baltimore was shattered when a gunman killed his parents, two people at a convenience store, and then himself in a shootout, a motive that was not immediately clear, police said on Monday.
Police were called around 6:45 a.m. for a shooting at a Royal Farms convenience store in Essex, Maryland, about 12 miles east of Baltimore. Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
The gunman, Joshua Green, 27, blocked a car in the parking lot with his car, approached the stranded car and shot and killed Alpha Smith, 62, who was inside, said the Colonel Andre Davis of the Baltimore County Police Department. press conference Monday.
Mr Green then went to the store and shot and killed a customer, Silvesta Daye Jr., 43, who was standing by the cash register, Col. Davis said. Mr Green then shot and seriously injured a 22-year-old store worker, officials said. The worker was in stable condition on Monday.
Shortly after the shooting at the store, officers received a call regarding a fire in a nearby apartment. Officials said Mr Green set his apartment on fire and found it completely engulfed upon arrival. Officers found a man, later identified as Mr. Green, in the apartment parking lot, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Col. Davis said.
When detectives went Sunday afternoon to inform Mr Green’s parents of his death, they found Douglas Green, 58, and Olivia Green, 62, dead in the garage of their home in Baldwin, Md. , approximately 18 miles north of the Royal Farms. shop. They had been shot, officials said.
Police said that so far there was no apparent motive for the shooting and it was not clear whether the store had any meaning for Joshua Green.
Colonel Davis said the gun used in the shooting was legally purchased in 2020 by Mr Green and registered with him. Officials said he had had no “criminal contact” with police before the shooting.
It appears the shooter acted alone and officials said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the shots.
Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa R. Hyatt on Monday described what happened as a “senseless tragedy” and “horrible and sickening.”
“Frankly, we all have more questions than answers about the events of yesterday,” she said.
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