Baltimore County man fatally shot parents, then 2 at convenience store, before killing himself, police say

BALTIMORE — Police on Monday described in further detail the shooting spree that left five people dead, including the shooter, and one person injured in Baltimore County the day before.

Alpha Smith, 62, and Silvesta Daye Jr., 43, were killed at the Royal Farms convenience store in Essex. Douglas Green, 58, and Olivia Green, 62 were killed at their Baldwin home. Police have identified their son, 27-year-old Joshua Green, who died by suicide, as the shooter.

Police said Joshua Green’s rampage began at his parents’ home in Baldwin, where he shot and killed the couple in the garage.

Just before 7 a.m., he arrived at the Royal Farms store along Middleborough Road in Essex, and used his car to block in Smith, who had parked in front of the store, said Baltimore County Police Col. Andre Davis. Joshua Green then approached Smith and shot her through the car window, police said.

Then, he entered the store, where he shot and killed another customer, Daye. Finally, he shot a 22-year-old employee, Joshua Robinson, in the leg, said county police spokeswoman Joy Lepola-Stewart. Robinson is in stable condition at a local hospital, police said.

Then, Green went to his apartment less than a mile away and set fire to a mattress, police said. Neighbors called police when he ran out of the Hartland Ridge complex on fire, Lepola-Stewart said. Green then shot and killed himself in the parking lot.

The fire didn’t cause any structural damage, and firefighters put it out in less than 10 minutes, said Baltimore County Fire Department spokeswoman Elise Armacost. The one-alarm blaze did, however, cause an estimated $10,000 in damage to the apartment.

When police went to speak with Green’s parents around 3:20 p.m. at their home along Manor Road, they found their bodies instead.

Police are still investigating Green’s motives. They said his gun was legally obtained, and registered in his name.

“As to why this occurred, we have no idea yet,” Davis said. “Our homicide detectives are tirelessly investigating a motive.”

During the news conference Monday morning, county police chief Melissa Hyatt decried the “senseless tragedy.”

“Baltimore County suffered through a horrific and sickening event, which changed the lives of many people, including some who were lost,” Hyatt said. “For the friends and family of the victims, for the employees of the Royal Farms store and our entire Baltimore County community, our thoughts and prayers are with you.”

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, Jr. commended the work of the police department in investigating the violence.

“I would encourage everyone to check on and care for our neighbors, and I know that we will all be hugging our loved ones a little tighter today and tonight.”

The Maryland chapters of gun safety organizations Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action condemned the violence Monday, calling for “action at all levels of government to end this public health crisis.”

“Enough is enough,” said Celeste Iroha, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Maryland, in a news release. “We should be able to go to a convenience store and not be worried that we will be shot and killed. It’s time for more than thoughts and prayers. We need action now.”

Kathy Raskin, who lives in the Shepherds Knoll community across the road from the Greens’ home, said she had lived in the neighborhood since 1995 but had never spoken with the Greens.

”My only knowledge of them is I saw the father, on occasion, mowing the lawn and I would see the mother doing yard work,” Raskin said.

On Monday, remembrances poured in for the bystanders at the Royal Farms.

Smith, a loving mother of three who went by “Alfie,” was remembered for her positive spirit.

“She was always smiling — always smiling — and always loved to talk to you, always made you smile,” said Rodcita Gray, a friend who took care of one of Smith’s daughters at a local day care.

“She would always stop at the Royal Farms because her daughter would always come in with either a doughnut or something from the Royal Farms every morning,” Gray said.

A GoFundMe page started for her family had raised more than $4,500 as of Monday afternoon.

“She loved boldly, and never complained. If she cared for you, you knew it, without question,” the family’s page read. “She would go out her way, and give her last, to help anyone. This is such a major loss for our family.”

Ellis Davis, who lives in Essex, said he knew both of the victims. He often saw Smith, a fixture in the community, at the local Food Lion, where she worked.

“I’d say hi to her, and tell her anything that I had going on,” Davis said.

“Everybody knew her,” Davis said.

Davis said he knew Daye, who went by “Vess,” for more than 20 years. The pair especially enjoyed going fishing together in Sparrows Point, and Davis said he’ll remember Daye for his relentless optimism.

“I’m not an optimistic person, right? So if anything happened I’d be thinking the worst. He always made me realize that it’s not as bad as it could be,” Davis said.

Friends said Daye had a passion for comedy, and enjoyed acting in sketches put on by his friends at a local barber shop, which they posted online under the name Redz Dabarber.

“You would always have a good time when he was around. He would keep you laughing,” said John Cottrell, who grew up with Daye in Essex. “He could have done stand-up.”

Cottrell said he met Daye while playing football when they were teenagers, and would often see him at a local pool hall. More recently, Daye helped Cottrell with his business, making trips to the dump in his pickup truck, and doing landscaping jobs.

“He’s like a jack of all trades,” Cottrell said.

He did those things in spite of a bad motorcycle accident in the early 2000s, which impaired his vision, Cottrell said.

“He had to wear thick glasses, but he didn’t like to wear them,” he said. “So he’d be like 10 feet from you and wouldn’t recognize you.”

Daye was also a dedicated Muslim who was preparing for the holy month of Ramadan, said his friend Abdul Shakur.

Shakur, 36, who lives in Southeast Washington, met Daye at a masjid, or mosque, in Baltimore, and the pair became fast friends.

They got to talking while putting their shoes back on after prayer one day, and have been in touch ever since.

“I’m not even from Baltimore. I don’t have any family members in Baltimore. And all my family members in Washington, DC would swear by Allah that I did have family in Baltimore because of these brothers,” Shakur said.

Friday night, Shakur saw his longtime friend for the last time. He picked him up from a bus stop in Baltimore, and they spent time together at his friend’s home in Charles Village, where they talked until the early hours of the morning.

Before he left, Shakur embraced his friend. Normally, he would have just said goodbye with a salam, an Arabic phrase that means “Peace be upon you.””This time, I told him I loved him,” Shakur said.

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