Annapolis has first homicide of 2009

A man was shot and killed last night on Bowman Drive, the first homicide of the year in Annapolis.

Police were called to the 1800 block of Bowman Drive at about 9 p.m. for the report of a car crash. When they arrived, they found a man sitting in the front seat of a car suffering from a gunshot wound, police said.

Paramedics rushed him to Anne Arundel Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Police have not released the man's name, pending family notification. They also have not released his age or address.

Few details about the shooting were available this morning, as police continue to investigate.

This morning, the street was empty, with few cars parked there. Remnants of police tape were the only evidence anything had happened.

One neighbor said she was upstairs in bed when her boyfriend told her someone in a white car hit his black sedan, which was parked in front of her home. The driver of the white car was the victim, she said.

She said the neighborhood has been very quiet, with few people hanging out on the streets at night. There was no one outside last night in the cold and rainy conditions, she said. She and several other neighbors on the street this morning asked not to be named.

There has not been a homicide near Bowman Court since 2007, though there were shootings there in September and July of last year.

"It's really nice and quiet," she said, noting that she didn't even hear shots on New Year's Eve.

Another neighbor said her daughter heard two gunshots last night, and she watched police and emergency responders from her window.

She's only lived there since June, but said she hasn't heard about anything like this happening before.

"It's too close to home," she said.

Still another resident on the block said she heard a shot and called 911. "Over here, we can hear a pin drop at night," she said.

The shooting has left her shaken.

"I didn't sleep all night, I saw every hour on the clock," she said.

She didn't go outside, but saw the police tape that stretched all the way to her home.

Myrna Harris, another resident, said the neighborhood is better than it was years ago, when young men would hang out in front of homes all the time.

"It's been good up here," she said.

This is the first homicide in Annapolis in 2009. Last year there were seven homicides in the city, with two of them ending in arrests. The last homicide in the city happened in September.

"It's the start of a new year," said Jane Schlegel, a city Police Department spokesman. "Certainly, in recent months we've seen somewhat of a drop … but everyone hates to see the loss of life."

Mrs. Schlegel said police are very early in their investigation and anyone with information, "no matter how small," is asked to call 410-268-4141 and ask for Detective Carson.