On a late September night in 2016, the life of 18-year-old Mason Cameron Atkins of Deale, Maryland, was tragically cut short in La Plata. The young man, along with several friends, had driven to an outdoor party on Mona Farm Place, arriving uninvited. They were asked to leave and complied, driving a short distance away before pulling over. A separate group of individuals, who had also been asked to leave the party, then drove past Atkins and his friends, sparking a confrontation.
The
argument quickly escalated into a physical altercation. The occupants of the other vehicle began hitting Atkins and his friends. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation and get the assailants to back away, one of Atkins' friends used pepper spray. The confrontation took a fatal turn when one of the suspects, Tyreq Kaylin Tilghman, who was 18 at the time, pulled out a handgun. He fired several shots into the car occupied by Atkins and his friends, striking Atkins and another individual.
Following the shooting, the suspects fled the scene. Despite being injured, the driver of Atkins' vehicle managed to drive to Popes Creek Road in Newburg, where they immediately called for help. Emergency services arrived, but Mason Cameron Atkins was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim in the car survived the ordeal.
An investigation into the homicide led to the swift arrest of four individuals. Tyreq Kaylin Tilghman, Kevin Averell Jones, 18, Talivah Laraiah Salahuddin, 17, and Shanya Imari Milstead, 17, all from Waldorf, were taken into custody. All four were charged as adults with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and attempted murder.
The legal proceedings that followed brought a measure of justice for the senseless killing of Mason Atkins. Tyreq Kaylin Tilghman, the shooter, was ultimately sentenced to 58 years in prison for second-degree murder, unlawful use of a firearm in a crime of violence, and first-degree assault. Kevin Averell Jones received a seven-year sentence for his role in the assault. Shanya Imari Milstead and Talivah Laraiah Salahuddin were both sentenced for second-degree assault, with their sentences suspended, and they were placed on unsupervised probation.
