The addition of five more homicides in Prince Georges County over two weeks, has contributed to the urban area’s spike in violent crime. According to the police, there have been 63 homicides in the county as of Aug. 31, an increase from 40 homicides during the same time a year ago.
Douglas Brooks, known as “Dirty Swipey,” is a local rap star who was shot to death on Aug. 21 in Suitland, Md. Police are still searching for suspects. (Prince Georges County Police Department)
Two homicides occurred during the weekend of Aug. 19, including Taiwo Oduwole, 31, at the 7-11 convenience store located at 9705 Brandywine Road in Clinton on Aug 20. Reilly said Oduwole was from Nigeria, a night clerk at a local 7-11, and had been in the U.S. for five months.
“When we arrived we found the victim suffering from two gunshot wounds. He was rushed to the hospital and died of his injuries,” Reilly said. “Our investigation shows that a suspect entered the 7-11, armed with a handgun, walked behind the counter, confronted our victim, and announced a robbery. The suspect assaulted the victim; the victim fearing for his life, jumped over the counter and fled toward the exit. At that point the suspect raised his gun, pointed it at the victim, and shot him in the back one time.”
The suspect was identified as having a backpack connected to a jacket that was captured on a surveillance video from the store and a nearby hotel. Reilly said he believes another suspect, who was the driver, was involved. A reward for information that can help solve the case has been raised to $50,000.
On Aug. 21, Douglas Brooks aka “Dirty Swipey” was shot several times in the upper body, according to Reilly. “The investigation revealed that Brooks was standing in a parking lot of an apartment complex in Suitland, Md. when several male suspects approached him and shot him. He was pronounced dead on the scene,” Reilly said.
Police are still searching for suspects. A motive has not been identified. Reilly said that the rapper’s girlfriend is not a suspect.
On Aug. 21 Damien Rowlett, 22, of Medallion Terrace in Upper Marlboro, Md. was fatally shot on the 3600 block of Endsley Place. “All I know is he went to a party and then I find out he’s dead,” Rowlett mother, who did not give her name, told Fox News affiliate WTTG.
On Aug. 17, Oscar Colindres Garcia, 31, was found in his car outside his home in the 7200 block of Joplin Street suffering from gunshot wounds. He died hours later at a local hospital. The murder suspect is described as a Black male between the ages of 20-30, 5’10” to 6’ tall, and weighing about 185 to 200 pounds.
“I think it’s sad, it’s tragic,” Terry McCrea, a resident of Temple Hills, Md., told the AFRO.”The killings are getting younger and younger. It’s not only in Prince George’s County but across the country . . . it’s sickening.”
Anyone with information on the Johnson, Garcia, Rowlett, or Brooks cases is urged to call the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 301-772-4925 or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-8477. You will never have to give your name.