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.
Authorities have identified the man shot and killed Friday afternoon in a parking lot outside a Little Caesars restaurant in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
The victim has been named as Stevens Jeffrey, 29, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The shooting occurred in the 2600 block of West Cermak Road near Rockwell Street at approximately 1:10 p.m., according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
Preliminary reports indicate that Jeffrey was sitting in his vehicle when he was approached by an unknown vehicle.
An armed individual exited that vehicle and opened fire, striking Jeffrey multiple times in the face and body.
Emergency responders arrived on the scene, where Jeffrey was pronounced dead. He was discovered inside his vehicle with his two young children, ages 4 and 6, who were unharmed.
Both children were transported to Stroger Hospital for precautionary evaluation.
The shooting took place in the parking lot of a Little Caesars restaurant, where investigators recovered multiple shell casings and placed numerous evidence markers on the ground.
As of Friday evening, no suspects are in custody, and detectives from the CPD Area Four Homicide Unit are leading the investigation. Police have not released information on a possible motive.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about this homicide to contact Chicago Police or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTip.com.