Teen girl who survived shooting helped police identify suspect in 13-year-old’s killing

A teen girl who survived a shooting this week in Langley Park helped Prince George’s County Police detectives identify the gunman accused of killing a 13-year-old Silver Spring girl after an argument.

The 14-year-old girl, who was wounded and hospitalized in critical condition, provided detectives with suspect Marcos Melendez-Umanzor’s nicknames and his phone number; she also confirmed, after looking at his photograph, that he killed Any Davalos in a pre-dawn shooting on Tuesday, according to court records.

Melendez-Umanzor, 20, of Hyattsville, faces 11 charges including first- and second-degree murder and first- and second-degree attempted murder.

He was held in jail without bond on Thursday, according to the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The teen shooting survivor called police from the crime scene about 1:50 a.m. in the 8100 block of 15th Avenue. Davalos was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The shooting survivor told police that they were talking to the suspect when Melendez-Umanzor and the 13-year-old argued.

“During the argument, the Suspect produced a firearm and opened fire; striking the Decedent and Victim,” court records said.

The 14-year-old told police she knew Melendez-Umanzor by his nicknames, “Chele” and “Gringo” and provided police with his cellphone.

Investigators received a court-ordered search warrant for Melendez-Umanzor’s cellphone and determined the device “was in the area of the murder at the time of the murder,” court records said.

Melendez-Umanzor’s attorney could not be reached for comment Thursday.

During a news conference Wednesday, Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said it was heartbreaking that Davalos’ life was cut short.

“Her life was just really beginning,” Braveboy said. “I thought about parents, family members, friends, who won’t see this young girl grow up to be a woman and how unfair that is.”

Police Chief George Nader said at Wednesday’s media briefing that a recent uptick in homicides in the county is attributed to “impulse crimes.”

“People are solving disputes with weapons and violence rather than talking things out or walking away,” Nader said.

At least seven people have been killed in less than a week, including three on Thursday, Oct. 29.

Davalos’ family has started a campaign to help pay funeral expenses for the 13-year-old.

The fundraiser, which was written in Spanish, said the family is heartbroken by her sudden and violent death.

“We are completely devastated by this situation and, in addition to the emotional pain, we are facing funeral expenses and processes we had not anticipated,” the fundraiser said. “From the heart, we ask for your support. Any financial contribution — no matter how small — or simply sharing this post will be of great help so we can give her a dignified farewell in these extremely difficult times.”

Davalos was reported missing earlier this year in Montgomery County but was later found.

Efforts to reach her family were unsuccessful.