In the late hours of Sunday, March 5, 2023, a welfare check led Montgomery County police to a grim discovery in downtown Silver Spring. Inside a car parked in the 900 block of Bonifant Street, officers found the body of 23-year-old Deandre Keith Ellis, a male who had sustained a fatal gunshot wound. The scene, located outside the Sweet Sweet Kitchen, quickly turned into a homicide investigation.
An autopsy later confirmed that Ellis's death was a homicide caused by a gunshot wound.
The investigation into the death of Deandre Keith Ellis led to the identification of four suspects. On March 14, 2023, just over a week after the incident, authorities arrested two 22-year-old men from Capitol Heights, Kajohn McCombs and Ahmahd McCombs. Both were charged with first-degree murder and are being held without bond. In a significant break in the case, investigators reportedly found Kajohn McCombs's cell phone inside the victim's car.
As the investigation continued, detectives identified two additional suspects. Warrants for first-degree murder were issued for 21-year-old D'Andre Lukes and 24-year-old D'Angelo Holley on October 19, 2023. The search for these men extended beyond Maryland, and on November 9, 2023, D'Andre Lukes was apprehended in Drums, Pennsylvania, by the Butler Township Police. He is currently awaiting extradition to Montgomery County to face charges.
The final suspect, D'Angelo Holley, remained at large for several more months. Law enforcement officials had been actively searching for him since the warrant for his arrest was issued. His time as a fugitive came to an end on Monday, February 5, 2024, when he was arrested in Montgomery County. Holley has also been charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond, along with the other three suspects.
