1 dead, 4 injured in overnight shooting in Baltimore County, police say
BALTIMORE — Baltimore County Police are searching for at least one suspect after an early Saturday morning shooting that left one person dead and four others injured in Woodlawn, the department says.
Police responded to the 1800 block of Woodlawn Drive around 4:05 a.m. and found five victims with gunshot wounds.
One victim was pronounced dead and four others were transported to hospitals, police said.
The shooting took place in the parking lot of a strip mall known as the Security Business Center, located at 1808 Woodlawn Drive. Police were seen Saturday morning investigating a white Hyundai with New Jersey license plates parked in front of the BBQ Tonite restaurant.
Trae Corbin, a spokesperson for the police department, said the white vehicle was involved in the shooting in some capacity and that the victims may have been sitting inside of it. Additionally, he said investigators are planning to look at security footage from businesses near the crime scene.
Sonny Awan, who owns BBQ Tonite — an Indian and Pakistani restaurant he’s operated for more than four years, said there had been other shootings outside the strip mall.
“This is nothing new,” he said. “Customers worry. … Obviously it hurts the business.”
On Friday, BBQ Tonite closed at 10 p.m. and Awan left around 11 p.m., he said. He learned of the shooting on Saturday morning when police were at the scene. BBQ Tonite opened about 90 minutes late on Saturday because of the police investigation.
Awan pointed to at least one seemingly empty unit across the parking lot that he said attracts people late at night, adding that in the mornings, trash is strewn across the strip mall parking lot.
He called the empty units a “party hall,” and said people arrived dressed up.
“I didn’t know how bad or good this neighborhood was,” he said.
By late Saturday afternoon, the parking lot was bustling with cars coming in and out and business at the strip mall was starting to pick back up.
Those with information about this shooting are encouraged to call Baltimore County Police at 410-307-2020.
