In the winter of 2021, a burst of gunfire shattered the calm of a Landover neighborhood, leading to the tragic death of 39-year-old James Allen Simon Jr. of Clinton, Maryland. On Monday, January 25, 2021, shortly before the noon hour, police officers were called to the 2100 block of East Spring Place for reports of both a shooting and a car crash. When they arrived, they discovered a car that had collided with a house. Inside the vehicle, in the driver's seat, they found James Allen Simon Jr.
suffering from a gunshot wound.
Emergency responders transported Simon to a nearby hospital for medical attention. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away a few hours later. Fortunately, no one inside the home that was struck by the vehicle was injured during the incident. The motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
In the days that followed, detectives from the Homicide Unit diligently pursued various investigative avenues to identify those responsible for Simon's death. Their efforts led to the identification and subsequent arrest of two suspects: 26-year-old Davelle Brooks of Landover and 31-year-old Braint Proctor of Cheverly. Both individuals were taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder and other related offenses. Following their arrest, a court commissioner ordered them to be held in the custody of the Department of Corrections on a no-bond status.
