Howard County Experiences a Scary Spike in Violent and Deadly Crime

Violent crime is down over five years, but residents are wary of the recent trends

The year 2025 began with the typical crime reports with the typical categories such as theft, burglary, break-ins and the ever-constant crime staple — vehicle theft.

On January 14, 2025 the mundane crime reports changed with the report of the murder of 17-year-old Lance Carrington. Three young adults were arrested. The juvenile, Jemik Parker, 16, is still sought by police. Jemik is being charged as an adult. Howard County Police believe that Carrington was targeted for robbery and Parker was the shooter. There is a $5,000 reward set for information leading to his capture.

Howard County Government Encourage Calm

While Howard County government is encouraging residents to be wary of scary talk about crime on social media and pointing to an eight percent drop in violent crime over a five-year period, as indicated in a joint Howard County Police Department and County Executive Facebook post, many on social media, especially NextDoor have indicated angst over the uptick in extreme underage violent activity.

As in Carrington’s case, this violent act ended in death. HCPD concluded that the murder by shooting was not random and possibly drug-related.

The social media conversations, which Howard County officials are encouraging residents to filter, are beginning to compare Columbia, in particular, to Baltimore and Prince George’s County — two areas considered hot beds of criminal activity.

Non-Violent Crime

Looking at non-violent crime,  in a single weekend in mid-February, 16 automobiles were stolen in Howard County. Some might call that a crime spree.

HCPD produces a Daily Crime Bulletin that is published Monday through Friday. Some in the community have accused HCPD of under-reporting crimes.

In a Howard Courier inquiry, we met resistance from County officials to a reported death in West Friendship on February 4, 2025. While we received a tepid acknowledgement from Howard County Fire and Rescue Services that they responded to a 911 call, HCFRS, HCPD and the County Executive’s office did not provide details about the incident, nor was it reported in the HCPD Daily Crime Bulletin.

In a separate matter, a Columbia woman reported that her car had been vandalized in a parking garage at Swift Stream, her residence. The event took place between February 21 – 23, but the report was not published in the Crime Bulletin. This reporter witnessed the damage. Someone unsuccessfully attempted to remove the wheels from 2024 Toyota Camry. One wheel was no longer attached. It was jammed under the fender and  the rotor was damaged in the process, but no wheels were actually stolen.

On February 15, 2025 a woman was assaulted in Jessup before her 2024 Subaru was stolen from her in a carjacking incident. At the time of this article being written, there is no additional information on the carjacking.

Young Adults and Juveniles Committing Violent Crimes Together

In the murder of Carrington, several young adults have been arrested. If any of the accused had been juveniles, due to Maryland law, no information would have been provided.

We do know that police are currently looking for Jemik Parker, 16. According to police, because he is currently being sought by police, both his name, description and photo can and have been released to the public, despite his status as a juvenile. There is a $5,000 reward for his capture. As of this writing, Parker has not been arrested.

On February 22, 2025, violence came to Columbia again, in a very public way. Outside The Mall in Columbia, Emmetson Zeah, 18, shot and killed Michael Robertson, 16 of Columbia, according to police. Zeah is also a resident of Columbia and is a Howard County Public School System student enrolled in the Passages program. According to HCPSS Superintendent William Barnes, Zeah was already known to have prior violent charges against him, so he was not in the general student population. Passages is a program for juvenile criminal offenders. According to Barnes, the program was dismantled by a previous administration. He resuscitated the program due to the escalating violence within the student population.

The Passages program is in line with a commitment from Barnes that he would eliminate the possibility of juvenile delinquents under the supervision of the  Maryland Department of Juvenile Services from attending classes with the standard non-supervised student population.

Barnes made the announcement at a joint press conference between HCPSS and HCPD in the aftermath of the October 11, 2024 murder of Kendrick McLellan, 26 .

Police Still Searching for William Marshall III, Accused of 2024 Shooting at Mall

William Marshall III, 17, of Columbia is still wanted by police in the July 27, 2024 murder of Angelo Little, 17, of Columbia. HCPD Police Chief Gregory Der said Thursday, that Marshall has not been apprehended. Der said Marshall has no resources and that he is likely hiding in Howard County. He asked for additional help from news reporters to spread the word to the community for help locating Marshall. Marshall was an Oakland Mills High School student at the time of the crime.

Zeah, who is now in custody, after a brief search by police, was also accused of shooting and critically wounding Blake McCray, 15, of Columbia. This shooting was also outside the Mall at the time Robertson was shot and killed. In recent days it was reported that McCray died at the hospital. Zeah is now charged with two murders. McCray was a student at Oakland Mills High School in Columbia.

Zeah Accused of Multiple Violent Offenses

Days before the Mall shooting, Zeah, according to police, was involved in a shooting on Twin Rivers Road on Friday, February 14, 2025. Most information came across via social media. By the following Tuesday, HCPD had made no announcements regarding the shooting. After the arrest of Zeah, police connected him to The Mall shootings and the Twin Rivers shooting.

Following the violent trend, on Tuesday, February 18th, there were reports of gunfire in the Harper’s Choice area of Columbia. Police swarmed the area and closed off streets. Neighboring schools were on lockdown. Police later issued a statement saying that this was not an active shooter situation. On February 20th, police posted a video from a passerby to their Facebook page. An individual has been apprehended. No name was listed on the announcement.

Guilford Park Student Arrested for Armed Robbery

On February 19th, a 14-year-old student at Guilford Park High School was arrested for armed robbery using a replica handgun. On the same day, a resident in the Kings Contrivance area of Columbia reported gun shots and found bullet holes at the residence. Police found the shell casings.

Anne Arundel and Howard Students Accused in Killing

On October 9, 2024, Kendrick McLellan, 26, of Baltimore was killed in his own car on Centre Park Drive in Columbia. McLellan was not discovered until October 12 during a routine patrol by police. The suspects in this killing are two juveniles, whom police assume McLellan knew. One of those juveniles was a transfer student from Anne Arundel County. He was 17 years old at the time of his arrest. A student at Howard High School, Howard County Public School System officials were not aware of attempted murder charges by the student. Superintendent Bill Barnes said at a news conference that the juvenile would not have been part of the student population had officials known. Another juvenile, 14, was also charged. He is from Anne Arundel County.

Because the two suspects are juveniles, according to Maryland law, information about them is not released to the public.

More Repeat Juvenile Offenders

On April 7, 2024, five teens including three males and two females, all from Baltimore City, were apprehended for attempted armed carjacking in the Wilde Lake area of Columbia. Two reports of attempted carjacking were in close succession in the same area. One of the juvenile girls had been arrested in Howard County previously months earlier for another violent offense.

At a recent press conference, after the February Mall shooting, Howard County State’s Attorney Rich Gibson said that his office does “not control when crimes occur” and that his staff prosecutes those accused of crime, making it clear that his staff is not responsible for the decisions of judges and other government entities. He made a pledge to personally prosecute Zeah, currently in custody for the killing of two outside The Mall in Columbia.

Zeah was fitted with an ankle monitor at the time of the shootings. Charging documents reveal that prior to the Mall shooting Zeah was released on bail for attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault charges related to a home invasion in Howard County. He is accused of attempting to stab someone. Howard County District Court Judge Wayne A Brooks presided over the case.

A New Plan

Sparked by the Mall shooting, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and Police Chief Gregory Der pledged enhanced police presence around The Mall and on public trails. Ball said, “Recently, we have seen several concerning violent incidents in our county that have shaken our community’s sense of safety. This undue violence has affected our neighbors and friends and breaks our hearts for those who have loved ones involved.”

To combat the crime wave, Ball and Der initiated a new Crime Reduction Plan that includes the following:

• Increasing high visibility marked patrol cars and uniformed officers patrolling in and around the Mall;
• Supplementing and supporting uniformed officers with a series of covert and undercover details;
• Detectives identifying and addressing areas around the Mall where increased illegal activity has/is occurring;
• Area patrol units assisting as needed, to ensure all available resources are utilized;
• Reassigning a team of Community Outreach officers to the Mall and nearby pathways to enhance security coverage and gather information;
• Utilizing the Mall’s extensive surveillance camera system to identify those engaged in criminal activity in and around the property;
• Assigning drone operators to the detail to provide an overhead view to officers on the ground when needed;
• Working closely with HCPD School Resource Officers to intervene when juveniles are committing violent crimes in the area; and
• A crime analysis team who will provide information about emerging trends or trouble areas in and around the property.

Initiatives Currently in Place

At the recent press conference, Ball listed several initiatives that his administration began or partnered with other institutions prior to the shooting. According to Ball, HCPD graduated the largest group of police cadets in 30 years. Grassroots has a mobile mental health crisis team that the County supports. Crisis calls exceeded 78,000 in the past year, not including texts. John Hopkins Howard County Medical Center and Sheppard Pratt increased their mental health capacity, and the County created nearly 40 youth programs serving ages 8 to 18.

School Safety

Superintendent Barnes revealed that there still is not more information shared by Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services, but with the information he has, he uses virtual learning for students who are under supervision by DJS. Those students learn from home and are not part of the regular student population. For some under supervision, under certain conditions not detailed, youth may attend the Passages Program with other students. A safety plan is created for each student, which involves teachers, counselors and parents. He makes a point to visit the program.

Barnes said he created a new Safety and Security Team and that school officials delved deeper into the juvenile justice laws to gain a better understanding of how they work.

County Executive Ball and Maryland Governor Moore

In light of Maryland law that provides privacy for  violent youth offenders, coupled with a home detention monitoring system that arguably does not create a sufficient buffer between violent juveniles and potential targets, several reporters at a recent press conference peppered those in attendance with questions regarding how Howard County officials are working with Maryland officials and the legislature to close the holes in the current juvenile justice system where Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services is perceived as having an outsized role regarding the disposition of known violent youth.

HCPD spokesperson Sherry Llewellyn said that County officials cannot be held accountable for the actions of the State of Maryland. Ball stepped up to clarify that he did reach out to Maryland Governor Wes Moore regarding the violence that has recently beset the County. He did not reveal the details of their conversation.

Citizen Concerns

This reporter posed a question to followers on the social media platform NextDoor. From Howard County residents, here are some of the responses to the question, “If you could ask a question of any Howard County official about violent crime, what would that question be?”

• How the hell did it increase THIS exponentially?
• What are the drivers and what can be done to mitigate them?
• Was this by design? You were supposed to stand apart from PG county, not become it.
• What can citizens do to help??
• Since progressive folks promote ideas such as; restorative justice, diminutive sentencing, no bail, etc., why are the people committing crimes becoming so young and violent with crimes in general? One would think that humanity would tend to improve with kindness and civility. I don’t apologize for asking for teeth behind whatever laws are in place now. Younger generations are scaring me to death.
• Has violent crime increased in Howard County in the first quarter of calendar year 2025? Yes or no? (I want county leadership to go on the record with a concise, clearly worded statement. No more mincing words.)
• How many incidents are not being reported?
• Why are there no true consequences for violent actions?
• After taking the discipline from the parents, taking God out of schools as well as introducing them to life’s affairs and responsibilities that a very large number of adults can’t understand. Then seeing how violence, crimes and suicide numbers are going insane. Do you truly think your current agenda for the community ensures the future of the community?
• The police are simply outnumbered and not catching up! Ask the following: Should we consider hiring our own security? It CAN be done affordably and effectively!
• Why is it so many teens/young adults have guns? 2.Why is it so easy to obtain/make one (ghost guns)? 3. Can anything be done to stop (or at least decrease) the proliferation of drugs in our community?
• Since they clearly won’t punish the young adults with any amount of severity related to the crimes they’ve committed, why don’t the courts impose fines on the parents or guardians? Or at least make them pay restitution to the victims of their children’s crimes? [i.e. Victim’s car gets damaged during carjacking, the parent/guardian pays to fix the vehicle.]
• How can a teen with an ankle bracelet only be supervised from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, and they are not monitored Saturday and Sunday because no one is working in that office? Why aren’t probation officers working those days and hours. The 18-year-old teen who was walking in the streets with a loaded firearm violated the law when he left his home the day before the murder and obviously the day of. No one went and searched his home for firearms when the teen was seen walking around with a gun? The next day he tries to kill two people? How does that make sense?
• What can we do to help the youth stay out of trouble?
• If a person on home detention violates that detention by going outside the set boundaries, why aren’t they arrested? What’s the sense in allowing multiple violations. It’s become apparent that this program isn’t working because there are no ramifications when its terms are violated.
• What can we do as a community to change the current laws for juveniles?
• In some schools, Columbia is being referred to as lil’ Baltimore — not in a nice way. We should have a military school out in west Howard county. Any juveniles misbehave, they go their for structure, behavior change, mental health help, and academic evaluation.
• Considering the fact that Rouse created a great foundation for all cultures and that Columbia is growing what measures are in place to keep Columbia from the growing crime rate? However, I want to remind everyone that Baltimore, Virginia and DC experience crime every day. I consider myself being blessed  living in Columbia. I ❤️ Columbia!

This article was written by publisher and staff writer Ricardo Whitaker.

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