ROCKVILLE, Md. — Two people are dead and one woman is critically injured after two related shootings in Rockville and Laurel Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Police in Montgomery and Prince George’s County are working together to try and understand what led to two shootings, both within twelve hours of each other.
Montgomery County Police officers were called to the scene in the 14900 block of Southlawn Lane at 7:50 a.m. A witness told police they saw a man drive away from the scene in a gray Toyota Tacoma after shooting a man.
Officers say they found a 60-year-old man, identified as Civil Jean Calixte, with gunshout wounds at the scene.
Around that time, Laurel Police Department issued a lookout for the Toyota Tacoma, which had also been seen at the scene of a domestic shooting Wednesday night. The domestic shooting took place in the 14200 block of Westmeath Drive, according to Laurel Police. A woman was shot and is in critical, but stable, condition. Police have not released any details about her.
Montgomery County Police found the Toyota Tacoma nearby and discovered a 53-year-old man inside who they believe shot himself. He was later identified as Dario Villard.
Both Calixte and Villard were transported to hospitals and both were later pronounced dead. The medical examiner will perform autopsies to determine cause of death.
Laurel Police confirmed the car they were looking for is the car Montgomery County Police found and that the two shootings are connected. While MCPD said Calixte and Villard may have known each other, and that Villard may have been targeting Calixte, it is unclear if the woman injured in Laurel the night before knew either man. During the investigation, detectives learned that Villard had an active warrant from the Laurel Police Department for attempted first-degree murder from the domestic shooting the night before.
“It’s a peaceful neighborhood, never happened, this kind of thing," said neighbor Muhammad Rashid. "People that were walking by were kind of scared. What’s happening? Everybody lives here with their family, kids, all that kind of stuff, it was pretty scary.”
Now, investigators are working to learn the cause of both shootings, but MCPD says in situations like this, cooperation is key.
“This is a good example of law enforcement agencies working together,” said MCPD’s Shiera Goff. “It’s still very early in the investigation, but [investigators] are talking with witnesses, and they will be able to make a determination as to what exactly happened, and connect the incident from Laurel and today’s incident.”
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