On a tragic Friday morning, the life of 29-year-old Delonta Surratt was cut short in a violent encounter that unfolded in a Hyattsville, Maryland, apartment building. The male victim was discovered in a hallway on June 23, 2017, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound. Authorities were called to the 5500 block of 45th Avenue around 10 a.m. for reports of a shooting and pronounced Surratt dead at the scene.
The investigation quickly led police to a related incident a short distance away.
About thirty minutes after the initial call, law enforcement in the neighboring community of Riverdale Park responded to a report of another shooting. There, in the 5700 block of 48th Avenue, they found 20-year-old Jabari Ball, also deceased from a gunshot wound.
Detectives determined that the two events were tragically interconnected, classifying the case as a murder-suicide. An argument between Surratt and Ball had escalated, culminating in Ball shooting Surratt. The conflict was reportedly domestic in nature, as Surratt was in a relationship with Ball's mother. After fleeing the initial scene, Ball was discovered a short time later with what authorities believe to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Prince George's County Police Department investigated the incident, concluding that Ball was the sole perpetrator and that they were not searching for any other suspects.
