Man arrested for shooting at Maryland trooper accused in separate Montgomery County murder
A 22-year-old man who was arrested for shooting at a Maryland State Police trooper is also the suspect in a separate murder, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.
Maurquise Emillo James was charged with attempted murder, felony assault, and firearm offenses after State Police said he shot at a trooper during a traffic stop in Baltimore on Tuesday, Feb. 24.
Montgomery County police also identified James as the suspect in the murder of 87-year-old Robert Fuller Jr., a millionaire philanthropist who was killed in a Potomac senior living facility on Feb. 14. James was a medicine technician at the facility.
James was charged with first-degree murder and is being held in Montgomery County pending a bond hearing, according to officials. He was arrested Tuesday afternoon after a multi-agency effort.
Police said they connected James to both shootings by his gun.
"After the scene was processed, they recovered a shell casing," said Montgomery County Police Capt. Sean Gagen. "That shell casing was entered into our system which led to a notification to the department that the shell casing to the shooting at the trooper in West Baltimore matched and linked to our homicide here in Montgomery County."
Shots fired at trooper
According to State Police, James fired two shots at a trooper who attempted to conduct a traffic stop at the intersection of Belle Avenue and Milford Avenue early Tuesday morning. Troopers said the driver had no headlights and no tags.
The trooper was taken to a hospital with powder burns due to the proximity of the shooting. The trooper did not sustain gunshot wounds, officials said.
The trooper was approaching a gray Infiniti on the driver's side when the door opened slightly and the driver, identified as James, fired shots from inside. The trooper did not return fire.
He then fled the scene, going east on Belle Avenue.
An arrest
James was arrested around 3 p.m. on Tuesday in Montgomery County after a collaboration by state, local and federal law enforcement.
Investigators conducted search warrants on two residences connected to James in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, according to state police. Among the evidence recovered was the Infiniti G37.
The Maryland State Police was assisted by officers from the FBI, Baltimore County, Baltimore City and Montgomery County police departments.
Montgomery County murder
James is also facing charges in connection with the death of Fuller in the Cogir Potomac Senior Living Facility, according to Montgomery County police.
Officers arrived at the facility in the 10800 block of Potomac Tennis Lane to find Fuller unresponsive inside an apartment. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Detectives determined that Fuller had been shot in the head, prompting a murder investigation.
According to WUSA9, Fuller's friends described him as a longtime philanthropist who grew up inn Massachusets before moving to Maine. He moved to Maryland to be closer to his wife and child, WUSA9 reported.
