In the summer of 2015, a fatal encounter unfolded in a Metro parking garage in Wheaton, Maryland, claiming the life of 20-year-old Eric Alexander Melgar of Silver Spring. On the evening of July 14, Melgar was on the third level of the Wheaton Metro station parking garage when a confrontation occurred. The dispute escalated, and Melgar was shot multiple times just after 7 p.m.
He was rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Following the shooting, the suspects fled the scene on foot. Montgomery County police officers responded and located two individuals at a nearby intersection. A handgun was recovered from the suspects. The men were identified as 19-year-old Douglas Shannon Chase of Northwest D.C. and 18-year-old Brent Deon Sanderson of Rockville.
Both Chase and Sanderson were arrested and subsequently charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Eric Alexander Melgar. At the time of their arrest, authorities stated that the motive for the shooting was under investigation, and it was unclear whether the suspects knew Melgar prior to the incident. The two were held without bond.
