In the early morning hours of July 6, 2017, the summer celebrations in a District Heights, Maryland apartment complex were shattered by the sound of gunfire. When police arrived at the Woodland Springs Apartment Complex on Atwood Street, they found two men in the parking lot, both suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. One of the men was 34-year-old Phillip Michael.
He, along with 31-year-old Kenneth Edmonds, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the double homicide revealed that the tragic events of that night began with a dispute over something as seemingly trivial as fireworks. Michael and Edmonds had been setting off fireworks in the parking lot, an activity that drew the attention and ire of a fellow resident. A verbal argument ensued, which quickly escalated into a violent confrontation that would ultimately claim two lives. The festive atmosphere of the holiday week was irrevocably broken, replaced by the somber reality of a senseless act of violence.
Within days, the Prince George's County Police Department announced an arrest in the case. Karon Moore, a 20-year-old from the nearby community of Forestville, was taken into custody. He was subsequently charged with first and second-degree murder in the deaths of both Phillip Michael and Kenneth Edmonds. Authorities indicated that Moore was an acquaintance of the victims and that the shooting was the culmination of the argument that had transpired earlier. Following his arrest, Moore was held at the Department of Corrections.
