Two arrested in Prince George’s County shooting that left a 33-year-old man dead
(2200 block Lewisdale Drive, Hyattsville)
Two men have been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a 33-year-old man earlier this month in Prince George’s County, Maryland, authorities announced.
Oscar Valladares Romero, 26, of Hyattsville, and Junior Villatoro Mejia, 23, of Washington, D.C., are charged in the death of Brian Vasquez Rodriguez of Adelphi.
According to the Prince George’s County Police Department, officers were called to the 2200 block of Lewisdale Drive in the unincorporated Hyattsville area at approximately 4:15 a.m. on September 6 following a report of a shooting.
When officers arrived, they found Rodriguez inside the driver’s seat of a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful, and Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Suspects Arrested Days Apart
The investigation led homicide detectives to Valladares Romero, who was arrested September 16 with assistance from the department’s Emergency Services Team.
Mejia was arrested the following day, September 17, in Fairfax, Virginia. He was taken into custody by the department’s Fugitive Unit, which is part of the U.S. Marshals Service Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Mejia remains in Virginia while awaiting extradition to Prince George’s County.
Police said there is currently no indication that either suspect knew Rodriguez. Investigators have not released a possible motive, saying the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
Both men face charges of first- and second-degree murder, along with related offenses.
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Valladares Romero is being held by the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections without bond.
Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact a Homicide Unit detective at 301-516-2512 and reference case number 26-0047521.
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(Source and mugshot images: Prince George’s County Police Department)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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