On the night of January 28, 2018, Andrew Samir Mehany Kolta, a 28-year-old male pharmacist, was fatally shot in a tragic act of violence. The incident occurred at approximately 11:36 p.m. in the parking lot of his apartment complex on South Main Chapel Way in Gambrills, Maryland. Responding to a call for shots fired, Anne Arundel County Police officers discovered Kolta lying next to a vehicle with gunshot wounds.
He was transported to Baltimore Washington Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of death was gunshot wounds and the manner was homicide.
The investigation into Kolta's death quickly led to the identification of persons of interest. Through witness interviews and investigation, detectives were able to connect three individuals to the crime. On February 1, 2018, police arrested 18-year-old Dwayne Stephen Commock, 22-year-old Shamar Terrence Hamm, and 20-year-old Celeste Maureen Long, all from Bowie, Maryland. It was determined that the three had driven to the Gambrills area with the intention of committing a robbery.
The motive for the senseless killing was a robbery that netted the assailants only $17. According to the investigation, Long acted as the getaway driver while Hamm and Commock, wearing masks, approached Kolta to demand his wallet. When Kolta attempted to flee, Commock shot him in the back. After taking his wallet, they fled the scene in Long's vehicle. A handgun consistent with the murder weapon was later recovered from the suspect's vehicle during the execution of search warrants.
All three suspects faced charges for their involvement in the murder of Andrew Kolta. Dwayne Stephen Commock pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and a weapons charge and was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 20 years. Shamar Terrence Hamm was found guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and other related charges by a jury and also received a sentence of life in prison plus 20 years. Celeste Maureen Long pleaded guilty to manslaughter, armed robbery, and a weapons charge, receiving a 50-year sentence with all but 15 years suspended, to be followed by five years of supervised probation.
