Man Shot In OC; 2 Arrested
Ocean City Police have made two arrests in connection with a shooting investigation.
Sunday morning shortly before 3:00 a.m., officers responded to a downtown hotel for a reported shooting. A 21-year-old Reisterstown, Maryland man was later located at the 15th Street firehouse. He was shot twice, and was taken to an area hospital.
Police said the victim is expected to fully recover.
Investigators learned that the man apparently walked on top of a parked vehicle believing that no one was inside, fell through the sunroof and was confronted by the occupants of the vehicle. Members of the Berlin Police department found the vehicle at a gas station, and during a traffic stop two men were arrested.
27-year-old Antonio Jermaine Epps of District Heights, Maryland is charged with attempted murder and other crimes. 28-year-old Jameal Dannielle McLeod of Capitol Heights, Maryland is charged with weapons-related offenses.
Ocean City Police released this account of the incident:
Witnesses informed officers upon their arrival that both the suspects and victims had left the scene. The witnesses reported that the suspects fled the scene in a vehicle while the victim left on foot. The victim, a 21-year-old male from Reistertown, MD, was later located at the 15th Street firehouse. Ocean City EMS treated the victim for two gunshot wounds and transported him to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional. The victim is expected to make a full recovery.
During the course of the investigation, officers learned that the suspect vehicle was parked in the hotel parking lot. The victim walked on top of the vehicle, believing it was unoccupied, and fell through the sunroof. The occupants of the vehicle got out and confronted the victim. During the confrontation, one of the male occupants, later identified as Antonio Epps, shot the victim twice. The suspects and the victim fled the scene.
Officers broadcasted the vehicle and driver description to surrounding law enforcement agencies. Officers with the Berlin Police Department located the vehicle at a gas station in Berlin, Maryland. Officers from the Berlin Police Department, Worcester County Sheriff Office, and Maryland State Police were able to initiate a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle. During the search of the vehicle, a loaded semi-automatic handgun and a loaded large capacity drum style magazine were recovered.
With the assistance of the witnesses and our allied law enforcement agencies, the following two arrests were made:
- Antonio Jermaine Epps, 27, District Heights, MD: attempted second-degree murder, assault first-degree, assault second-degree, reckless endangerment, handgun in vehicle, loaded handgun in vehicle, handgun on person, loaded handgun on person, handgun used/felony violent crime, reg. firearm illegal possession did possess firearm with felony conviction, illegal possession ammunition, and discharge firearm within city limits. Epps was seen by a Maryland District Court Commissioner and held without bond.
- Jameal Dannielle Mcleod, 28, Capitol Heights, MD: accessory after the statute (three counts), handgun in vehicle, and loaded handgun in vehicle. Mcleod was seen by a Maryland District Court Commissioner and held without bond.
