On a summer morning in 2020, the life of 30-year-old Ronald Henderson Jr. was tragically cut short in what police believe was a targeted shooting. The incident unfolded on Saturday, July 18, 2020, in Landover, Maryland, a community in Prince George's County. Officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 2400 block of Kent Village Place around 11 a.m. and discovered Henderson outside, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the weeks following the shooting, detectives from the Prince George's County Police Department's Homicide Unit worked to identify a suspect and a motive. Their investigation led them to release a video of a person of interest, hoping for the public's assistance. This appeal proved fruitful when an anonymous tip to Prince George's County Crime Solvers helped detectives identify the individual in the video.
The investigation culminated in the arrest of 55-year-old Troy Eugene Smith of Palmer Park. Smith was charged with the fatal shooting of Ronald Henderson Jr. According to the preliminary investigation, the motive for the deadly encounter was a recent argument between the two men. Smith was the individual seen in the previously released video, and the motorcycle he was seen with was also recovered by law enforcement.
