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Background: The intersection in Temple Hills, Maryland, where the shooting reportedly took place (WRC/YouTube). Inset left: Darian Ragland (Family/WRC). Inset right: Polo Shaw (Prince George”s County Police Department).
While on his way to collect his 7-year-old daughter from after-school care, a Maryland father was tragically shot and killed, reportedly due to a confrontation over merging, authorities reveal.
Polo Shaw, age 33, has been charged with first- and second-degree murder in the slaying of 39-year-old Darian Ragland, according to an announcement by the Prince George’s County Police Department. Currently, Shaw is being held without bail.
The incident unfolded on April 10 around 4:30 p.m., in Temple Hills, Maryland, a suburban area roughly 15 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. Ragland and Shaw were both driving on the road at the same time, police reported.
Allegedly, Shaw attempted to merge in front of Ragland, who did not yield, as reported by NBC affiliate WRC, referencing legal documents. Authorities note that as the two vehicles continued along Branch Avenue, they appeared to be matching each other’s speed.
Upon reaching the 4700 block of Branch Avenue, Shaw allegedly fired a shot through Ragland’s passenger-side window, causing Ragland to swerve, cross the median, and crash into a barrier wall. Officers arrived at the scene and discovered Ragland with gunshot wounds; he was later pronounced dead.
Authorities suggested that Ragland had no clue any violence was coming.
“It’s especially troubling when it appears that the victim had no idea, was not involved in any sort of confrontation and just was attacked out of nowhere,” Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson said, per the local outlet.
The police department announced on April 13 a reward of up to $25,000 “for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.” Shaw was arrested and charged days later.
Police also said that the “preliminary investigation revealed Shaw shot Ragland during a road rage incident. The suspect and victim were not known to each other.”
Investigators reportedly determined that Shaw’s cellphone was in the area of the shooting around that time, and a license plate reader found his vehicle about 5 miles away 17 minutes afterward.
Shaw is expected back in court on May 18.
Ragland’s mother expressed the toll that the incident has taken on her.
“I can’t make sense of it. And that’s my last child. I have three sons,” she told WRC amid tears, adding that she has “no more children now.”