Prince George’s County police have reported that a shooting at a food court inside the MGM National Harbor Hotel and Casino has resulted in a fatality.
After arriving at the scene and finding the man, the police pronounced him dead.
The identity of the victim is yet to be released. The only known information on the man is that he was in his twenties.
Police are still searching for the shooter; they have not shared a description.
After the shooting, the suspect is believed to have fled in a car.
The Hotel and Casino is located in Oxon Hill.
Police Chief George Nader, during an interview, described the situation that had unfolded:
“The victim was ordering food, the suspect appeared and immediately began shooting at the victim.”
The Police Chief has shared that a video, which the suspect can be seen, has been obtained.
According to Nader, the perpetrator had targeted the victim and had been pursuing him, then, after finding his target, shot and killed him.
Only half a day later, police were called back to the Hotel and Casino as a fight had broken out; it is not clear if there is any correlation to the shooting.
Outside Consequences
While conducting their investigation, police have placed several schools in the area on lockdown.
Following the shooting police made a statement assuring people that the community was under no threat.
Police have temporarily closed down MGM National Harbor’s food court.
No other parts of the hotel and casino have been affected by the situation.
The police chief has said that situations like this should be rare due to the percentage of violent crime in the area having lessened by 32% this year.
He also added that regardless of the location, the shooting would likely still have occurred and that it had no correlation to the location.
Last Year’s Incident
This isn’t the first shooting, in recent years, to have happened on the grounds of the MGM National Harbor.
Last year, a man was shot and killed in their parking lot.
The incident had occurred after an argument between 2 people led to a shooting and resulted in a loss of life.