A North Bethesda community is grappling with the aftermath of a violent incident that left a 29-year-old man dead and led to charges against a Hyattsville man, with police on the hunt for two more suspects. The Montgomery County Police Department's Major Crimes Division reported that the body of Akwalabeng Fontava was discovered in an apartment after suffering a fatal gunshot wound, an event that led to a response on Sunday.
According to a press release on the Montgomery County Government website, after Fontava's death, an adult male and female were allegedly kidnapped by the suspects and forced into a vehicle—one being released later in Silver Spring, while the woman was found with Sheldon Milan Boykins, 37, at Westfield Montgomery Mall. The male victim was released, however, the situation continued to unfold and police soon took Boykins into custody thereafter charging him with kidnapping and firearms-related offenses, the evidence or circumstance of which we have yet to fully grasp.
While Boykins is currently being processed at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, detectives are actively searching for two additional male suspects believed to be connected to the incident. The investigation is very much ongoing and active, with law enforcement calling on the public's assistance for any information that could help apprehend the suspects still at large.
Community members with knowledge about the crime or possible suspects are being encouraged to submit tips via the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County website or by phone; a reward ranging from $250 to $10,000 may be offered for information leading to an arrest.
For more details on how to provide assistance to the investigators or for information about the case, the public can visit the Montgomery County Police Department's press release. The department is awaiting any help that members of the public can offer to aid in the quick resolution of this case and the arrest of the remaining suspects.
