In the late summer of 2017, a verbal disagreement in Edgewood, Maryland, escalated into a fatal encounter for 48-year-old Charles Pugh. On the afternoon of August 31st, Harford County Sheriff's deputies responded to reports of gunfire near the intersection of Harrpark Court and Cedar Drive. Arriving at the scene, they discovered a motor vehicle collision and found Pugh inside one of the cars, suffering from several gunshot wounds to his lower body.
Emergency responders airlifted Pugh to
the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center for medical treatment. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 11:05 p.m. that night.
The investigation into the shooting pointed to 51-year-old Derek Holder of Edgewood as the person responsible. According to authorities, Pugh and Holder had been engaged in a verbal altercation that took a violent turn when Holder allegedly shot Pugh. Following the shooting, Pugh's vehicle accelerated in reverse, leading to the collision that deputies initially encountered.
Law enforcement officials took Holder into custody without any resistance. He was subsequently charged with first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, and firearm-related offenses. Holder was held at the Harford County Detention Center without bail.
Another man from Edgewood, 29-year-old Charles Robert Pugh, Jr., was also the victim of a fatal shooting in a separate incident on August 19, 2021. He was one of four people shot in a quadruple shooting on Crimson Tree Way. Pugh, Jr. was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center where he died from his injuries. The investigation into his death is ongoing, and authorities have asked for the public's help with any information regarding the case.
