A 16-year-old was arrested Wednesday morning and faces murder charges in the fatal shooting of two siblings, ages 15 and 9, inside their family’s Gwynn Oak home this month, authorities said Wednesday.
The male suspect, of West Baltimore, has been charged as an adult with the homicide of both victims, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said. He said the suspect knew the victims and was at the home in the days prior to the shooting, including on July 4.
Police said the teenager is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of use of a handgun in the commission of a felony.
McCullough identified the suspect by name at a news conference. The Baltimore Banner is not identifying him because he is younger than 18.
Giovanna Myrie, 15, and her brother, 9-year-old Steve Allen, were found dead from gunshot wounds at the home around 7:20 p.m. July 7, according to a news release from the police department. Authorities said their parents had called 911.
County government and police officials made the announcement shortly before a town hall meeting in Randallstown, one day after a funeral Mass for the two children at St. Casimir Church in the Canton neighborhood.
McCullough, flanked by Councilman Julian Jones and County Executive Kathy Klausmeier, said the suspect’s bail was denied at a hearing Wednesday. He was being held at the county detention center.
The chief couldn’t confirm whether the 15-year old victim and the 16-year-old suspect had been dating. McCullough said he could only speculate that the 9-year-old was involved because he was a witness.
“I will say that we had a belief that there was a definite suspect. We didn’t have a definite identity, but we had an idea of who it might have been,” he said. “I know it took much longer than I wanted it to. However, we have to make sure that we put together a very airtight case, considering the age of the suspect.”
McCullough added that the suspect was captured “on camera in several ways throughout the community” and had been seen in the area after the shooting. It was unclear how the teenage suspect got access to the firearm.
Jones said he was “taken back” by the fact that a 16-year-old had a gun and “the propensity to actually … murder two people.”
“So this is an absolute sad day for all of us here, and our community, and our country, that this type of violence takes place and is being perpetrated by young people,” said Jones, the Democratic nominee for county executive.
A solemn McCullough told reporters on the night of the shooting that such a crime, with two children shot in their home, was “something that doesn’t happen in this community here.”
“I’ve seen a lot of things in my career,” he said. “But this is something that’s horrific. It’s tragic.”
This article has been updated.
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