Woman killed outside Anne Arundel County assisted living facility; suspect found dead
A shooting outside an assisted living facility in Anne Arundel County left one woman dead Friday after she finished her shift. Police later found the suspected shooter dead nearby from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The shooting happened at the Morningside House of Friendship senior living facility in the 7500 block of Old Telegraph Road in Hanover, Maryland, according to the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
Officers responded after receiving multiple reports of a shooting and found a woman suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers provided emergency aid until first responders arrived, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene due to the severity of her injuries.
Police identified the victim as 27-year-old Asia Natee Virginia Thomas of Baltimore.
"It appears that they were known to each other," an Anne Arundel County police spokesperson said. "We are still investigating the specifics around that relationship."
Witnesses told police the shooter, a man, fled the scene on foot. Multiple agencies assisted police in searching the surrounding wooded area for the suspect.
During a search Saturday, members of the Anne Arundel County Police Department's Quick Response Team found the suspect dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police identified him as 25-year-old Deontae Tranell Bryant of Aberdeen, Maryland.
"We weren't initially able to locate the suspect, but a follow-up search did locate him not too far from the shooting scene there in a wooded area," a police spokesperson said. "He was located deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot. We're investigating this as a murder-suicide."
A preliminary investigation found that Thomas had just finished her shift at the assisted living facility and was sitting outside the building with Bryant when an altercation broke out.
Police said Bryant shot Thomas before fleeing the scene. Preliminary information indicates the two knew each other.
"We knew there was something that happened, just didn't know exactly what it was and we've been here for a long time," said John Lumadue, who works at a nearby bicycle shop. "I've been here since 2002. I grew up here. I've never seen anything like this over here."
The investigation is continuing. Police detectives ask anyone with information about the incident to contact 410-222-4731. Individuals wishing to remain anonymous are encouraged to call the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at 410-222-4700.