In a tragic turn of events on March 20, 2020, 48-year-old James McCall lost his life in a shooting incident in Lanham, Maryland. The male victim had recently moved into a home on the 10200 block of Diablo Avenue. It was in this residence that the fatal encounter unfolded.
Authorities identified the suspect as 31-year-old Wintrell Phillips, who also resided at the same address.
On that Friday afternoon, at approximately 4:00 pm, patrol officers were called to the scene following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered a grim situation. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, while another was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The investigation by the Prince George's County Police Department's Homicide Unit later determined the incident to be a murder-suicide. When officers first arrived, they observed Phillips in front of the house holding two firearms. He did not comply with verbal commands to drop his weapons and instead ran to the side of the house, where officers then heard a gunshot. Phillips was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and died at a local hospital the following day. James McCall was discovered inside the home, having already succumbed to his injuries. Detectives are continuing to work to establish a motive for this fatal shooting.
