On a late Tuesday evening in the Fairland area, the life of 18-year-old Kennedy Merrit-Millit of Rockville was tragically cut short. Just after 11:00 p.m. on June 22, 2021, Montgomery County Police responded to a report of a shooting at the intersection of Greencastle Road and Turbridge Drive. Upon arrival, they discovered Merrit-Millit on the ground, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.
Officers immediately began performing life-saving measures until Fire and Rescue personnel arrived and transported him to a local hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the death of the young man, who had recently graduated from high school, quickly became an active homicide investigation. Detectives with the Montgomery County Police Department’s Major Crimes Division began to piece together the events of that night, believing that the incident was not a random act. Their investigation was aided by several tips from the community.
Within a week, two 18-year-old suspects turned themselves in at the Montgomery County warrant turn-in facility. John Delonte Black, Jr., of Burtonsville, was charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting. He is being held without bond at the Montgomery County Detention Center. The second suspect, Annbel Sierra Massilon of Silver Spring, was charged with robbery. The arrests brought a swift development to a case that had shaken the local community.
