In a tragic turn of events on the evening of Thursday, February 23, 2017, 17-year-old Christopher Perry, a male student from Clinton, Maryland, was fatally shot inside his own home. The incident, which sent shockwaves through the community, unfolded on Buckler Road where he lived with his mother. That night, an argument erupted between Christopher and his 48-year-old mother, Angelique Chase.
The dispute reportedly began over Christopher's use of disrespectful language while he was engrossed in playing video games.
The verbal altercation escalated to a physical struggle when Chase attempted to take away her son's video games and cell phone. A third family member who was present in the house intervened and managed to separate the two. Following the intervention, Chase instructed the relative to go to the basement. Moments later, she retrieved a revolver from the basement, returned upstairs, and shot her son once in the chest. Just before 9 p.m., Chase herself called 911 to report that her son had been shot. When police officers arrived at the scene, they found Christopher on the living room floor with a gunshot wound. He was quickly transported by a medical helicopter to a nearby hospital but tragically succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead later that evening.
Angelique Chase was arrested at the scene and subsequently admitted to her involvement in the shooting. Initially, she was charged with second-degree murder and assault. However, after further investigation and consultation with prosecutors, the charges were upgraded to first-degree murder, suggesting a level of premeditation in the act. Chase claimed during police interviews that the gun had discharged accidentally as she was lowering it. Despite this claim, the evidence gathered by investigators led to the more severe charge.
Following her arrest, Chase was held without bond at the Department of Corrections. A grand jury later indicted her for first-degree murder. The case drew considerable attention and sorrow from the community, with neighbors and classmates of Christopher, who was a senior at Grace Brethren Christian School, expressing their shock and grief. Many visited the family home to offer their condolences for the young man whose life was cut short in such a devastating manner.
