HILLCREST HEIGHTS, Md. — The Prince George's County community is mourning the death of a local basketball star after a shooting early Saturday morning in the Temple Hills neighborhood.
Police say the suspect has been identified as 36-year-old Estep Kyler Jr. of Largo. He is charged with shooting and killing 40-year-old Andrew Carnell of Washington, D.C., a local basketball star.
On Saturday at 4:05 a.m., officers responded to a reported shooting on Iverson Street. While searching the area, officers located Kyler suffering from a gunshot wound. Kyler told officers he had just been in a fight with his friend, Andrew Washington, as the two sat in a car in a parking lot in the 2400 block of Iverson Street.
Officers found Washington inside the car suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said Kyler was in custody at an area hospital where he remains for treatment of injuries not considered life-threatening. He is charged with first and second-degree murder and other related charges. He will be taken to the Department of Corrections when he is released from the hospital.
The news was heartbreaking for Ricky Goings, Washington's friend of nearly a decade.
"I was shocked," Goings said, "it was devastating."
Washington was killed just days after celebrating his birthday.
"It was his birthday, so you just saw a bunch of happy birthday posts and then now you see he’s gone," Goings said. "He was a physical guy. Really scored, really talented, really athletic. You know, if he was out there – he was a trash talker – you know if he was out there, it was going to be a really long night."
Goings added, "He liked to work with kids that had challenging backgrounds – kind of reminded him of himself. He would always coach, show up – support – make those kids feel like they were part of the community and not that they were different."
Ricky said that’s how he wants this community to remember his friend.
"He showed up. He was so passionate about the game of basketball and he was passionate about people – helping people. He meant a lot to a lot of people in this area."
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