Seydou Alassane Ba

In the early morning hours of a November day, what initially appeared to be a single-vehicle accident in Millersville, Maryland, quickly turned into a homicide investigation. First responders arrived at the 8300 block of Williamstowne Drive to find a man deceased in the driver's seat of his car. The man was identified as 46-year-old Seydou Alassane Ba of Gaithersburg. The nature of his injuries led authorities to believe that this was no ordinary car crash.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later confirmed these suspicions, ruling Ba's death a homicide caused by a gunshot wound. Investigators from the Anne Arundel County Police Department began to piece together the events leading to his death. They learned that Ba was working as an unlicensed cab driver and had been lured to the Millersville area by a potential fare.

Through their investigation, which included executing numerous search warrants and conducting interviews, detectives identified a person of interest. This led them to 21-year-old Shupelle Rattim Gunter of Baltimore. During an interview with detectives, Gunter admitted to shooting Ba after they had an argument. Gunter was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and handgun violations. Although an arrest was made, the police continued to investigate the fluid and active case.