A man suspected in a deadly carjacking and a string of crimes in D.C. and Prince George’s County, Maryland, over about 11 hours was shot and killed by police in New Carrollton early Tuesday, authorities say.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called the suspected one-man crime spree “senseless and tragic.”
Police say 28-year-old Artell Cunningham of Suitland, Maryland, carjacked at least three people, tried to carjack others and shot two men, killing one of them. He also is believed to have shot at police on DC-295 in D.C., I-95 in Laurel, Maryland, and I-395 in Baltimore. Three police cruisers were hit but no officers were hurt.
The man killed in one of the D.C. encounters was Alberto Vasquez, his family told News4. He was a 35-year-old father of two daughters.
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"They gave up the keys and for whatever reason, the guy still shot him and ended up killing my son," his mother said.
Officers in New Carrollton shot Cunningham after he pulled out two guns, a spokesman for the independent investigations division of the Maryland Attorney General's Office said.
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The shootings and carjackings began in D.C.'s Chinatown and NoMa neighborhoods. There was no indication that Cunningham knew the victims, Executive Asst. Chief Jeffery Carroll said at a news conference.
Here's what police say happened
First, a man was found shot on a sidewalk in downtown D.C. Officers were called to the 900 block of K Street NW at about 5:30 p.m. Cunningham got into someone’s car, was inside for less than a minute and then shot the driver, D.C. police said. The shooting victim got out of the car and collapsed.
That victim, identified by his family as Mike Gill, was in critical condition as of Tuesday morning. He's a father of three.
A spokesperson for the family said in part: “Mike's remarkable ability to connect with others transcends boundaries. His genuine interest in people and his innate ability to make everyone feel valued and included have been instrumental in fostering a sense of community wherever he goes. Whether it's through his infectious laughter, his genuine concern for others, or his innate ability to find common ground, Mike is a catalyst for unity and friendship. The most important thing about Mike that all of his friends know is how much he loves his family and how proud he is of his three children. You can't know Mike without hearing proud stories of each one of his kids, and hearing about his love and respect for his wife, Kristina."
About an hour-and-a-half later, at 7:05 p.m., Cunningham tried to carjack someone in the 1000 block of Third Street NE but was unable to, police said.
About 10 minutes later, he approached Vasquez and a second person at a car at Third and N streets NE. During a dispute, Cunningham shot and killed Vasquez, police said. He then drove off with the car. Video showed Cunningham speeding away with the car door still open.
The car was found in the Takoma Park area, D.C. police said.
In Takoma Park, Cunningham called a ride share, carjacked a Nissan Rogue from the driver and headed toward Baltimore.
At about 2:15 a.m., a Maryland Transportation Authority officer was assisting with a work zone closure on the ramp from northbound I-95 to I-395 in Baltimore. Someone fired a shot from a passing car at the police vehicle, MDTA officials said. The officer was not hurt.
After 2:30 a.m., a Maryland state trooper was helping a stranded driver on southbound I-95 near Route 198 in Laurel. The stranded driver was on the right shoulder. A few lanes over, the trooper saw a dark vehicle that was stopped. Suddenly, someone in that vehicle opened fire, Col. Roland Butler of Maryland State Police said. The trooper took cover as the windshield shattered.
The trooper checked on the welfare of the stranded driver and a tow truck driver and then unsuccessfully tried to find the shooter, Butler said.
At about 3 a.m. Tuesday, someone shot at a marked D.C. police cruiser on DC-295 near Pennsylvania Avenue SE, hitting the driver’s side door. The officer was not injured, and the suspect fled.
About an hour-and-a-half later, at 4:30 a.m, New Carrollton Police Department officers were on patrol when they saw a disabled vehicle in the 7500 block of Annapolis Road, according to Thomas Lester, a spokesman for the independent investigations division of the Maryland Attorney General's Office.
The officers got out, saw no one in the vehicle and then learned it had been carjacked from a driver in Prince George’s County hours earlier.
A man walked up to the officers and “produced two handguns,” Lester said.
Two New Carrollton officers shot the man. Cunningham was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Two handguns were recovered from the scene. The investigation by the state attorney general’s office will determine if they were loaded and operable, Lester said.
New Carrollton officers have body cameras. Information was not immediately released on whether the shooting was captured on camera.
D.C. police said they believe Cunningham was mentally ill.
“It does appear to be more of a mental health situation than a, going out to commit carjackings or a crime for financial gain or to get a vehicle," Carroll said.
Witnesses to the D.C. crimes were key to the investigation, Carroll said. He said there is no ongoing threat to the public.
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Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact police.
The latest attacks come days after authorities say a woman believed to also be selecting victims at random stabbed two people and hit five people with a car on a rampage through Prince George’s County.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
