17-year-old Jemik Parker was located in Louisville, Kentucky.
Ellicott City, MD – Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der and County Executive Calvin Ball are announcing the arrest of 17-year-old Jemik Parker in the Jan. 14 fatal shooting of 17-year-old Lance Carrington in a targeted attempted robbery in Columbia. Parker remained at-large for four months and was located in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 15 by detectives using multiple investigative leads.
“While the total number of homicides in Howard County remains low, and many are sadly domestic in nature, we have seen a number of recent incidents of violence involving juveniles,” said Police Chief Gregory Der. “We remain committed to identifying and arresting anyone committing violent acts in our community.”
Parker is charged as an adult with first- and second-degree murder and is believed to be the shooter. Four others involved in the incident face the same charges: Janae Baker, 18; Kendall Stagg, 18; Charles Epperson Jr., 19, all of Columbia, were charged in January. Jeremiah Robinson, 20, of no fixed address, was charged in March. Parker returned to Maryland May 20 and all five are being held at the Howard County Detention Center on no bond.
Police located Carrington deceased in a parked vehicle in the 6000 block of Helen Dorsey Way and recovered a loaded handgun in his possession. Detectives believe that the five suspects conspired to rob Carrington of that weapon. Through investigation, police believe Baker was in the vehicle with Carrington when Parker, Epperson Jr., Stagg and Robinson approached. Parker is alleged to have shot Carrington before all five suspects fled.
“Our Police Department remains dedicated to ensuring those who commit a crime are held accountable. We know that one act of violence in our community is one too many, especially when it results in loss of life,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “Our police officers will always answer the call and do what we can to ensure our residents are safe and feel safe. Working closely with our Howard County Police Department and other stakeholders, we remain committed to employing community policing best practices and taking strong measures to ensure public safety is a priority. I want to thank our hard-working officers who have been working diligently to make quick arrests in these dangerous and deadly incidents, and I am grateful for their work.”
While Maryland state law typically does not allow a juvenile suspect’s identification to be released, even when charged as an adult, an exception exists “for the sole purposes of facilitating apprehension of a child and ensuring public safety” when a criminal arrest warrant is issued. Howard County police identified Parker publicly because his whereabouts were unknown and he was considered a potential threat to the public due to the nature of his alleged crime.
Anyone with additional information about this crime should contact police at 410-313-STOP or [email protected]. No one has received the reward of up to $10K at this writing.
Watch the press conference: https://youtu.be/BooCdLBW_m4