Police charge additional defendant in fatal shooting of 5-year-old Dorchester girl

Another man has been charged in the fatal shooting of a 5-year-old girl at a home in Dorchester County, Maryland State Police announced Monday.

Wendell Wongus III, 23, of Hurlock, was charged with first- and second-degree murder, attempted first- and second-degree murder, multiple counts of first- and second-degree assault and several related charges, online court records show. He is being held without bond along with another man who is also accused in the Aug. 11 shooting.

The Dorchester County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Wongus, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

To date, Maryland State Police have charged a total of three people in the shooting, including Anthony Harris, a 26-year-old man who is also from Hurlock, and Lindsay Jo Ewing. Police accused Ewing, a Dorchester County State’s Attorney’s Office analyst, of providing Harris with sensitive information about the case, which Harris allegedly used to try to conceal his role in the shooting.

The Dorchester County State’s Attorney’s Office then announced that it had a conflict in the case, bringing in prosecutors from Wicomico County to assist with the investigation, authorities said.

Maryland State Police were called to a home in the 3900 block of Ocean Gateway around 2:17 a.m. on Aug. 11 for reports of a shooting. Troopers discovered Ryan Adams, 30, and his 5-year-old daughter, both of whom had been shot. The young girl died at the scene while Adams was hospitalized with his injuries, according to authorities.

State police said it was a retaliatory shooting that stemmed from a fight Adams’ 15-year-old nephew had been involved in. After his nephew told him of the fight, police said, Adams drove to where it happened and opened fire, shooting a 14-year-old boy.

Court documents revealed that Harris was a relative of the 14-year-old boy who had been shot. It wasn’t immediately clear of Wongus’ relationship to others charged in the case.

Though still hospitalized, online court records show that Adams faces attempted first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and firearm violations. His 15-year-old nephew has been jailed at the Lower Eastern Shore Children’s Center and faces similar charges, state police said.