On a late Wednesday night, August 18, 2021, the life of 20-year-old Axel Steven Trejos of Germantown, Maryland, was cut short. He was on an outdoor basketball court at the Plum Gar Community Recreation Center with friends when a dispute escalated into gunfire around 10 p.m. When Montgomery County police arrived at the scene, they discovered a chaotic situation with four individuals suffering from gunshot wounds.
Trejos, along with three juveniles, were quickly transported to local hospitals with varying injuries. Despite medical efforts, Axel Trejos was pronounced dead later that night.
In the immediate aftermath, law enforcement established a perimeter and took two males into custody. The investigation led to significant charges against a 14-year-old from Silver Spring, Shilen Ahmadi Wylie. Due to the severity of the alleged crime, Wylie was charged as an adult with one count of first-degree murder for the death of Trejos and three counts of attempted first-degree murder for the injuries sustained by the other victims. According to court documents, a witness identified Wylie as the individual who shot all four victims. When police located him, he was reportedly in possession of a 9 mm handgun, the same caliber as the weapon used in the shooting.
The investigation continued, and a second teenager, 17-year-old Samuel Lee Powers of Gaithersburg, was also implicated in the fatal shooting. He was subsequently arrested and charged as an adult with first-degree murder and three counts of conspiracy to commit murder. Powers was ordered to be held without bond. The second juvenile who was initially taken into custody with Wylie was not charged. Authorities have described the shooting as an isolated incident. The firearm used in the incident was identified by the Montgomery County State's Attorney as a ghost gun.
