Crime
Second Teen Dies Following Double Shooting Near The Mall in Columbia
COLUMBIA, MD – A second teenager has died following a double shooting outside The Mall in Columbia, authorities announced on Saturday, March 1.
According to the Howard County Police Department, 15-year-old Blake McCray succumbed to his injuries after being critically wounded in the February 22 shooting.
Officers initially responded around 5:52 p.m. to reports of shots fired near the Lidl parking lot and bus loop in the 10300 block of Little Patuxent Parkway.
Upon arrival, police discovered two teenage victims suffering from gunshot wounds:
- 16-year-old Michael Robertson was pronounced dead at the scene. Robertson was a student at Wilde Lake High School.
- 15-year-old Blake McCray was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in critical condition, where he later died from his injuries.
Investigators determined that the shooting took place at the stairway leading from the bus stop near Barnes & Noble to the Lidl parking lot.
Officers recovered two spent 9mm shell casings at the top of the stairs.
Howard County police arrested 18-year-old Emmetson Zeah, charging him with murder in connection with the double shooting.
Following McCray’s death, authorities confirmed charges against Zeah will be upgraded.
Police also revealed that Zeah was already on home detention at the time of the incident.
He was previously arrested in December and charged with attempted murder for a separate shooting that occurred just blocks from the mall on February 14.
Zeah is scheduled for a court hearing later this month, where prosecutors are expected to address new and existing charges against him.
This remains an active investigation, and authorities urge anyone with information to contact Howard County Police.
Crime
Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis shot in the leg by an immigration agent in Minneapolis
On January 14, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who has been present in the United States since 2022.
The operation escalated into a high-speed pursuit, a physical confrontation, and an ambush by multiple subjects, necessitating the use of a defensive firearm discharge by a federal agent.
At approximately 6:50 PM, federal officers initiated a targeted traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Sosa-Celis.
The subject refused to comply with law enforcement commands and attempted to flee the scene.
During the pursuit, the subject’s vehicle collided with a stationary, parked car.
Following the collision, the subject abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A federal agent pursued the suspect on foot and successfully intercepted him. As the agent attempted to effect an arrest, the subject became combative, resulting in a violent struggle on the ground.
During this confrontation, two additional male subjects emerged from a nearby residence to intervene.
These individuals reportedly ambushed the agent, utilizing a snow shovel and a broom handle to strike the officer.
The situation escalated when the primary suspect, Sosa-Celis, regained his footing and joined the two additional subjects in the assault.
Reports indicate the suspect struck the agent with a blunt object (identified as either the shovel or broom handle).
Citing an immediate threat to his life while being outnumbered and actively assaulted by three individuals, the agent discharged his service weapon in self-defense.
The discharge struck Sosa-Celis in the lower extremity (leg). Following the shot, all three suspects retreated into a nearby apartment complex and initiated a barricade situation.
Following a brief standoff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successfully secured the perimeter and apprehended all three individuals without further injury.
Both the federal agent and Sosa-Celis were transported to a local medical facility for treatment.
Images from the scene showed Sosa-Celis conscious and alert during transport.
All three subjects involved in the assault are currently in the custody of ICE.
Further charges related to the assault on a federal officer and resisting arrest are pending review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.