WASHINGTON COUNTY, Md. — Maryland State Police say a man, woman and two juveniles are all dead after an attempted traffic stop resulted in a car crash on Ringgold Pike in Washington County, Maryland. All four people in the car had been shot.
MSP spokesperson Elena Russo said her department became involved when they were notified by Pennsylvania authorities that a car that matched the description of a suspect vehicle was heading towards the Maryland state line.
Just after crossing into Maryland, Russo said the car drove off the highway, crashing into a fence line. Police say they then surrounded the vehicle and attempted to make contact with the occupants. After no response and seeing a thick layer of smoke in the vehicle, police opened the car to find a female driver, and three backseat passengers, which included two children, all with gunshot wounds.
The man, woman and one of the children were already dead. The other child was Medivac-ed to a hospital in Hagerstown, where they were pronounced dead.
Police identified the woman in the front seat of the vehicle as Tia Bynum, 35, of Baltimore. Bynum was pronounced deceased on scene by emergency medical service personnel. Bynum was wanted by the Baltimore County Police Department and considered armed and dangerous.
The deceased man located in the back seat of the vehicle is identified as Robert Vicosa, 41, of Baltimore. Vicosa was pronounced deceased on scene by emergency medical service personnel. Vicosa was also a wanted fugitive for committing multiple felony crimes in Pennsylvania and in Maryland.
Sources speaking to WJZ, a CBS affiliate in Baltimore, say Robert Vicosa was a former Baltimore police officer, and Tia Bynum was a current Baltimore police officer The two officers have been at the center of a days-long police pursuit and a disturbing string of alleged crimes over the past week.
According to WJZ, Vicosa had been on the run since Monday. He was accused of raping and drugging his ex-wife, kidnapping their two children and committing a Maryland carjacking along with Bynum, according to court documents.
Maryland State Police did not confirm how all four people ended up shot, where the car was headed and what Vicosa and Bynum’s motives may have been.
According to reporting done by WUSA9's sister station in York, Pennsylvania, the string of alleged incidents began on Nov. 12, when Vicosa was said to have invited his ex-wife to his Pennsylvania home to celebrate her birthday along with their daughters, 7-year-old Giana and 6-year-old Aaminah.
A criminal complaint states that after some time had passed that evening, the children went to bed and the ex-wife was preparing to leave when Vicosa told her that he had a gift for her. The ex-wife told police that both Vicosa and current officer Bynum grabbed her by the arms while Vicosa pointed a handgun to her head, police said.
The duo then allegedly forced her down into the basement, where she was tied up by her wrists and ankles and placed on a table on her stomach.
According to the affidavit, at some point, the ex-wife was untied and forced to snort a crushed Oxycotin pill and smoke marijuana. The ex-wife said after a few hours, Vicosa forced her up to a bedroom where he allegedly held her captive for days and raped her multiple times.
The victim says she was able to convince Vicosa to allow her to go home to get some clothes and her computer on Nov. 14. She went to Target and got help from an employee, eventually contacting police in Pennsylvania, expressing concern for her daughters, according to court documents.
Police went on to execute a search warrant at Vicosa’s home. They geo-located Vicosa’s phone, which led them to Bynum’s home. However, after searching her house, neither Vicosa nor the children were located, police said.
In a press conference Nov. 17, police said Vicosa and Bynam committed a carjacking in the Cockeysville, Maryland area, where a victim was held at gunpoint by Vicosa. At that time, police put out a felony arrest warrant for Vicosa.
Both he and Bynum were believed to be together with Vicosa's children, and have since been considered to be armed and dangerous.