Prince George’s County Police identified two of three homicide victims that were found dead on Thursday — a day so violent the police chief released a statement to reassure residents.
Omar Jonathan Ventura Ajbal, 18, of Hyattsville, was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound shortly before 11 a.m. at the Langley-Hampshire Neighborhood Park in Hyattsville, police said Friday.
The discovery of the teen’s body was preceded by two other killings on the same day.
The first incident occurred about 4:15 a.m. in the 9900 block of 51st Terrace in College Park. Officers responded to reports of a stabbing and found 26-year-old Jose Edin Hernandez Vasquez inside a residence with trauma to his body. Despite lifesaving measures, Hernandez Vasquez died at the scene, police said.
An hour later, officers responded to the 1700 block of Belle Haven Drive, between Martin Luther King Jr. Highway and Sheriff Road, and found a man in the roadway who had been shot, police said. The man has not been identified; he was pronounced dead at the scene.
County police said in a Thursday statement that the three homicides are not believed to be random or related. Prior to Thursday, police said, homicides were down in the county 33% when compared to the same time last year; they are down 55% when compared to the same time in 2024.
“While the reductions in murders reflect meaningful progress and demonstrate that our efforts and strategies are making a difference, we will never lose sight of the human cost of violence,” Police Chief George Nader said in the statement. “Behind every homicide is a life lost, a family grieving, and a community forever changed.”
If anyone has information about the killings, police ask the public to call the homicide unit at 301-516-2512.
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