This archive report was first published on 9 May 2021.
On Saturday, May 8, 2021, a tragic incident unfolded in a residential neighborhood in Woodlawn, Maryland, an unincorporated area about 12 miles west of Baltimore.
According to the authorities, the incident began around 6:40 a.m. when officers and firefighters responded to reports of a shooting and a two-alarm fire in the area.
When the police arrived, they found an armed man outside of a townhouse, and the 'threat was neutralized,' said Joy Stewart, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore County Police Department.
The gunman, who was not immediately identified, was later pronounced dead.
Three other victims, two men and one woman, also died in the incident. The cause of their deaths was not immediately clear.
A fifth victim had injuries that were not life-threatening, the authorities said.
The police said on Saturday afternoon that they had located two other people who were originally unaccounted for earlier in the day. Their conditions were not immediately known.
County Executive Johnny Olszewski joined the authorities at the scene and described the incident as 'horrific.'
He called for prayers for the injured victims and the families who have lost loved ones, stating that the situation would take time to fully investigate.