In the early morning hours of August 31, 2022, the life of 27-year-old Matthew Anthony Ponder, a male resident of Glen Burnie, Maryland, was tragically cut short. Anne Arundel County Police Officers responded to a report of a shooting at approximately 2:30 a.m. in the 400 block of M Street North East. Inside a residence, they discovered Ponder suffering from gunshot wounds.
Despite the immediate life-saving efforts of both police and fire department personnel, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Investigators quickly determined that the shooting appeared to be a targeted incident and assured the public that there was no ongoing threat to the community. The Anne Arundel County Police Homicide Unit took charge of the investigation, processing the scene for evidence and canvassing the neighborhood for any potential witnesses or information that could lead to a suspect. The case remained an active and ongoing investigation for over a year as detectives pieced together the events that led to Ponder's death.
A significant breakthrough in the case came on November 16, 2023, when members of the Anne Arundel County Police Fugitive Apprehension Team located and arrested a suspect in Baltimore County. The individual taken into custody was identified as 26-year-old Andre Raquan Riggs of Middle River, Maryland. Following an extensive investigation by homicide detectives, Riggs was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, home invasion, burglary, and first-degree assault in connection with the death of Matthew Ponder. Even with the arrest, authorities have indicated that the investigation continues to be active.
