A man was found dead outside an apartment complex in Lanham, Maryland, on Tuesday, according to Prince George’s County police.
Officers found a body outside Finian’s Court complex shortly before 9 a.m. after they were called for a welfare check by an anonymous caller.
Authorities said the man suffered from some sort of trauma, and the case is being investigated as a homicide.
Prince George’s County police had taped off a large portion of the complex in the morning, as detectives investigated the back portion of the apartments near a dumpster.
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“What we can say right now is that we do not believe this incident to be random,” Cpl. Erik Marsh, the department’s public information officer, said.
Investigators knocked on doors, hoping to speak to anyone who may have witnessed what happened.
Longtime resident Desire Grogan said she didn’t see anything, but she did hear something concerning overnight: the “pop” of gunfire.
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Authorities, however, would not confirm how the man died, or if what Grogan heard could have been shots.
“We will be able to confirm at a later point exactly what happened, but right now the only thing that we can confirm is that the victim suffered from trauma to the body,” Marsh said.
Police also would not say if the victim was a resident at the complex, but the incident concerns those who are.
“It's not comforting, but it’s not surprising because it’s happening all over the place,” Grogan said.
Detectives are reviewing surveillance footage to piece together what happened, and do not believe there is an active threat to the public.
Still, what happened will be top of mind for neighbors.
“[I’m] sort of shocked. I did not expect this to happen here,” resident John Corbett said. “It’ll help me be more alert to the sounds I’m hearing around and when I go out. Outside of that, I can’t live in fear. I do have to live.”
