A home in the 4700 block of Navahoe Street near the University of Maryland's College Park campus was struck by gunfire overnight, with a resident reporting shots fired not once but twice before sunrise. Officers later found several shell casings at the scene along with damage to the house consistent with bullet strikes, and as of this week, no motive or suspect has been identified.
Shots Heard Twice Before Dawn
According to WJLA, a resident told police she heard multiple shots around 10 p.m. Saturday and then again around 2:08 a.m. Sunday. The incident was reported to Prince George's County police around 6:44 a.m. Sunday, and officers who responded found the shell casings and the bullet-strike damage to the home, per the same account.
University of Maryland police said they weren't notified until around 8:37 a.m. Monday, and the university issued a community notice to campus later that day. The notice, the station's report indicates, did not include any information about what prompted the shooting or who might be responsible. Prince George's County police are asking anyone with information to call 301-352-1200, and the case has been logged under reference number 26-0059754.
Not the First Off-Campus Gunfire Near UMD
This is not the first time university police have alerted the community to gunfire near campus. A UMD community notice from October 29, 2023, described officers responding to the 4300 block of Hartwick Road, where they located two empty shell casings and a bullet hole in the hood of a black SUV. No injuries were reported in that case, and Prince George's County police said at the time they were continuing to investigate.
A more serious incident followed in March 2024, when a UMD notice reported an off-campus assault with a weapon at a commercial establishment in the 9000 block of Baltimore Avenue at approximately 3:47 a.m. In that case, the woman involved sustained a gunshot wound and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to the UMD alert, which also noted the suspect fled the scene in a vehicle and that county police were continuing their investigation.
Gunfire Has Also Targeted Traffic Cameras
In February 2025, UMD police responded to reports of gunfire on eastbound University Boulevard before Metzerott Road at approximately 2:22 a.m. Officers found two empty shell casings in the roadway with no injuries or property damage reported, and an advisory from UMD police said the initial investigation indicated the shots were aimed at a speed camera in the area.
Taken together, the pattern shows a recurring problem of gunfire incidents in the streets surrounding the College Park campus, each investigated separately by Prince George's County police with varying outcomes. In the latest case, investigators have not said whether the Navahoe Street shooting is connected to any prior incident, and the motive remains unknown.
