Timonium lawyer shot by son-in-law helped daughter seek protection order, police say

Timonium attorney Robert W. MacMeekin drove with his daughter Saturday morning to obtain a temporary protective order against her husband.

By the early afternoon, MacMeekin was dead and the son-in-law was in police custody.

Charging documents filed Sunday allege that MacMeekin’s attempts to keep his daughter and her family safe spiraled out of control within just a few hours. His daughter and wife, who were not named in the court filings, were present for the altercation and witnessed the deadly shooting, police said.

MacMeekin’s son-in-law, Mark Thomas Ryan, is being held without bond at the Baltimore County detention center. Ryan is charged with first-degree murder and the use of a firearm, online court records show.

He is scheduled for a bail/bond review hearing Monday afternoon and waived an attorney at an initial appearance Sunday. Ryan couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Officers responded to the MacMeekin home in Phoenix around 2:23 p.m. Saturday. They located the 74-year-old MacMeekin, a veteran attorney at the Fine, Kelly & MacMeekin law firm, in the enclosed patio attached to the back of the home, according to the charging records.

County homicide detectives arrived and spoke to MacMeekin’s daughter, and learned she and her husband were involved in what police described as a “Domestic Incident” the day before at their Bel Air home, according to the documents. MacMeekin’s daughter stated that Ryan “struck her,” and intended to get his gun from his safe. She “fled the home” with their two kids and went to her parents’ house, where they spent the night.

On Saturday morning, she and MacMeekin drove to the Harford County Sheriff’s Department and obtained the protective order. Ryan continued to contact her throughout the day by phone and text message, police said. The last time, she gave the phone to her father.

Police said Ryan asked about their children and wanted them brought back home, but MacMeekin said he would have the kids stay the weekend. He informed Ryan about the pending protective order and stated he needed to attend a hearing on Monday.

The charging documents state that Ryan drove to the MacMeekin residence and confronted him on the patio. He pointed a handgun at him, and a struggle ensued. MacMeekin’s wife and daughter-in-law said Ryan fired several rounds and eventually struck and killed their husband and father, according to the documents.

After the shooting, police said, Ryan dropped the gun and sat in a patio chair until officers arrived and took him into custody without incident.

Ryan confessed to shooting MacMeekin during a post-Miranda interview, police said, and said he was angry at MacMeekin for “keeping his children from him.” He was also angered by the temporary protective order and denied he harmed MacMeekin’s daughter, according to charging documents.

This article will be updated.