Three young men have been arrested by the Montgomery County Department of Police in connection with a series of shootings in Germantown and Damascus that occurred between March 2023 and August 2024. According to the Montgomery County Department of Police, the suspects are 18-year-old Samuel Wisdom of Germantown and two 17-year-olds, Ai’Jai Tyrell Smith-Nelson of Germantown and Jaden Ochieng of Clarksburg. All face multiple charges related to the incidents.
The investigation began after reports of gunfire and a scream near Bent Willow Circle. Wisdom is accused of attempting to kill three people after shots were fired at an SUV on Gaelic Court. He faces three counts of attempted first-degree murder and related charges.
Authorities also linked the suspects to another shooting on Bethesda Church Road in Damascus, where shell casings were found and one person was seriously injured. Smith-Nelson and Ochieng were later located at a nearby 7-Eleven and taken into custody. Police said firearms recovered from them were connected to the earlier shootings.
Investigators further discovered that Ochieng, who had been previously charged in other shooting cases, had his court-ordered ankle monitor removed on the same day as the Damascus shooting. He was later arrested at Northwest High School, where police found him with a loaded firearm linked to multiple earlier shootings.
Wisdom and Smith-Nelson remain in custody at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, while Ochieng is being held in another jurisdiction. Police are encouraging anyone with information to contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County or submit a tip online. A reward is being offered for information leading to further arrests.
