Police identified victim and suspect in Saturday night shooting murder in Columbia

Charlie Dwyer
shell casings

COLUMBIA, MD – Howard County police have identified the victim and suspect in a fatal shooting that occurred Saturday night in Columbia.  Police arrived at a call at a Monarch Mills Way address to find Simeon Mbuyu Mukuna, 18, of North Potomac shot dead.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Shawndel Weems, 23, of Monarch Mills Way in Columbia, is charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, use of a firearm in a felony and reckless endangerment. He is being held without bond at the Howard County Detention Center.

“Officers were called to the 7500 block of Monarch Mills Way at approximately 4:57 p.m. for a report that Mukuna had been fatally shot in the parking lot of an apartment complex,” the Howard County Police Department reported. “Police located Weems inside his apartment nearby. He initially refused to exit the residence, but then surrendered without incident.”

Related News:   Baltimore Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal Shooting

Police say a preliminary investigation revealed Mukuna was in the area visiting a friend. Police do not believe Mukuna and Weems knew one another. Detectives are still investigating a possible motive, which remains unclear at this time. The investigation is ongoing.


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