Second Suspect in Custody
In the case of two juveniles wanted for the October 11th slaying of Kendrick McLellan, 26, of Baltimore, Bill Barnes, Superintendent of Howard County Public School System and Gregory Der, Howard County Police Chief, held a joint press conference today to announce the capture of the second suspect, a 14-year-old Anne Arundel County student. Both juveniles are now in custody at the Howard County Detention Center.
At the press conference held at Howard County Police Department headquarters, Barnes made it clear that he is not satisfied with the lack of communication between the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services and other stake holders.
Barnes was emphatic that if he had known that a 17-year-old transfer student had been accused of attempted murder in Anne Arundel County, he would have prevented the placement of that student at Howard High School. Unfortunately, that student transferred to Howard County with HCPSS personnel only having knowledge that the student was under the supervision of DJS, according to Barnes. That student, whose name is being withheld because of state law, is the same student who is now accused of killing Kendrick McLellan, 26, of Baltimore.
Now, the 17-year-old and a 14-year-old are being held in connection with first-degree murder charges. Both are charged as adults and being held at the Howard County Detention Center, according to Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der.
Police Say Victim was Familiar with the Accused Murderers
The 14-year-old is a student in Anne Arundel County. He was arrested by police there and transferred to Howard County for detention.
According to Der, McLellan knew both juveniles. After watching hours of surveillance video, police saw that McLellan picked up both juveniles in his vehicle.
McLellan was not discovered until the day after the actual murder took place. According to Der, a new police recruit found the victim in the car while conducting a routine sweep of Centre Park Drive in Columbia.
When the 17-year-old was arrested, he was found in possession of a ghost gun with a modified long barrel, with ammunition. Ghost guns are guns that are purchased in separate pieces — like buying parts for a kit whereby the owner can build his own firearm. While Maryland state law now requires ghost guns to be registered, there is no way to easily enforce registration. Many ghost guns go undetected by government authorities.
Options for Potentially Dangerous Students
When asked by the Howard Courier about placement options for DJS supervised students, Barnes said that virtual learning is an option when school officials determine that a student may be a potential danger to the school community. The Homewood Center, an alternative school, can also be used in limited situations, according to Barnes.
In regard to school safety, Barnes said, “Our current efforts, frankly, are not enough.” He has been receiving safety suggestions from outside groups. Barnes now wants to develop a safety advisory group to come up with every kind of solution possible. “School safety is a total team effort,” he said.
Moving forward, Barnes said he wants HCPSS to conduct “comprehensive case reviews of all students detained by DJS.” He said that adjustments to student placement will be made accordingly.
“Our inability to receive information from DJS inhibits our ability to make decisions,” according to Barnes.
For HCPSS, a New Way Forward?
Over the past several months, according to Barnes, HCPSS has reviewed safety systems and added lots of safety training. He said, “we continuously review best practices.” He added that the schools have resource officers who are trained to deescalate dangerous interactions.
While Barnes called for a review of all laws and protocols in the state, when asked by the Howard Howard Courier about his vision for ideal juvenile justice reform, he deferred, saying that he did not have specifics for legislative reform.
In other media reports, it was revealed yesterday that the unnamed 17-year-old was arrested at Howard High School yesterday with alleged murder weapon in his backpack. Barnes said, “I am grateful for the swift response from police and [Howard High School] Principal Steven Fleming.” He also thanked the Office of Safety and Security. “It feels like we were way too close to this situation having a different outcome.” he said.
Barnes said, “My intent is to leave no stone unturned. This is the time for swift and collective action.”
