In the summer of 2010, a burst of gunfire shattered the evening calm in Langley Park, Maryland, leaving two young men fatally wounded. On June 13th, police responded to a report of a shooting in the 7900 block of Riggs Road. There they discovered 25-year-old Early Martinez and 21-year-old Mario Ernesto Galo, both suffering from gunshot wounds. Martinez, a resident of Langley Park, and Galo, from nearby Riverdale, were both pronounced dead.
The Prince George's County Police Department's Homicide Unit opened an investigation into the double homicide, working to identify any suspects and determine a motive for the shooting. Information regarding any arrests or the specific circumstances that led to the incident has not been made publicly available.
A few years prior, another violent death in the same neighborhood also drew the attention of homicide investigators. In the early morning hours of July 22, 2007, 16-year-old Ferdy Martinez was standing and talking with a 19-year-old friend at the Langley Park Villas apartment complex on 15th Avenue. A sport-utility vehicle approached the curb, and multiple shots were fired from within the vehicle, striking both teenagers. As the SUV sped away, Martinez, bleeding heavily from his wounds, attempted to run towards his family's apartment but collapsed before he could reach safety. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His friend was also hit but was expected to survive. Investigators were exploring the possibility of a connection to the MS-13 gang, a prevalent issue in the densely populated Latino neighborhood. It was not clear whether Ferdy Martinez, who had immigrated to the United States from Guatemala five years earlier, had any ties to the gang. Police canvassed the area for clues, but no suspects or arrests were publicly announced in the case.
