In the late evening of September 13, 2024, a burst of violence shattered the commercial tranquility of the Arundel Mills mall in Hanover, Maryland, leaving one man dead. Yant Junior Gomez, a 31-year-old male from Harlem, New York, was discovered in the rear parking lot near the movie theater complex, suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper torso.
The call reporting the shooting came in at approximately 9:30 p.m., and though patrol officers assigned to the entertainment district arrived within two minutes to render aid, the efforts of first responders were ultimately in vain. Gomez was rushed to the University of Maryland R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore but succumbed to his injuries during transport.
Investigators quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence but rather a targeted incident. The investigation into the death of Yant Junior Gomez led police to identify a suspect. On October 18, 2024, law enforcement arrested 45-year-old Dontay Maurice Fitzgerald of Baltimore. He was taken into custody without incident and has since been charged with first- and second-degree murder, as well as several firearm-related offenses.
Further details emerged suggesting the fatal encounter was arranged for a drug transaction. According to police reports, surveillance footage captured a gold pickup truck, allegedly driven by the suspect, arriving at the mall, while Gomez arrived in a white BMW. The footage reportedly shows the suspect approaching Gomez's vehicle, and moments later, Gomez fell out of the driver's side onto the pavement. The suspect was then seen driving away in Gomez's BMW, while another individual drove off in the suspect's truck. The BMW was later found burnt near Fitzgerald's home in Baltimore. A witness reportedly identified Fitzgerald as the shooter, and his cellphone records placed him at the scene at the time of the murder. Fitzgerald is being held without bond at the Jennifer Road Detention Center, and his preliminary hearing was set for November 13.
