On a tragic Wednesday evening in Laurel, Maryland, Howard Richard Popp Jr., a 39-year-old man from Baltimore, was fatally shot. The incident, which police described as a murder and attempted suicide, stemmed from a domestic dispute. Popp was in a relationship with a woman who was estranged from her husband, Robert Babauta Mendiola.
The series of events unfolded on August 20, 2014, when Popp and his girlfriend were seated in a vehicle in the 3300 block of Sudlersville South.
Mendiola approached them on foot. When Popp and the woman exited the vehicle, Mendiola shot Popp multiple times with a handgun. Officers who arrived at the scene found Popp deceased.
Following the shooting, Mendiola fled the location. He was later found in a shed in the 300 block of Old Line Avenue. As police attempted to make contact, Mendiola shot himself in what was an apparent suicide attempt. He sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Hospital.
Mendiola faced charges of first- and second-degree murder, as well as violation of a protective order that his estranged wife had obtained against him the previous month. The protective order was granted after she had separated from him in July. Despite the order, Mendiola had reportedly been trying to reunite with her.
