On Sept. 4, at approximately 1:56 p.m., officers responded to the 6000 block of Port Tobacco Road in Indian Head for the report of a shooting in which two males had been shot. Prior to arrival, officers learned the victims fled on foot. Officers and paramedics located the victims about 500 yards away from where the shooting occurred and administered first aid; however, one of the victims, Robert Tywaughn Branson, 39, of Indian Head, died on the scene. The other victim, 42, of Indian Head, was transported to a hospital in serious condition. The initial investigation revealed the homeowner, Brian Douglas Pierce, 35, shot the victims, both of whom he knew, outside his house. After the shooting, Pierce fled in his car, which was found abandoned on Friendship Landing Road in Nanjemoy by a K9 officer canvassing the area. With the assistance of officers and support teams from the Maryland State Police, MSP Trooper 2, Virginia State Police, Department of Natural Resources Police, and the Prince George’s County Police Department, a perimeter was established and officers conducted a search, but Pierce was not located. He turned himself in today at 7:30 a.m. at the CCSO La Plata District Station. Pierce will be charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault and other related charges. A motive is not immediately clear. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Det. J. Elliott at (301) 609-6515. The investigation is ongoing.
Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Learn more at the CCSO’s website.
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency comprised of more than 600 police, corrections and civilian personnel responsible for protecting more than 150,000 residents. The CCSO was accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2001 has been designated as a CALEA Gold Standard of Excellence agency since 2011. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.