CONTACT:
Diane Richardson
Media Relations Office
(301) 609-6557 or (240) 682-1658

On August 2 at 11:07 p.m., officers responded to the 6500 block of Bensville Road in Pomfret for the report of a shooting. A preliminary investigation revealed the suspect, Mark McKinley Hughes, Jr., 42 of Indian Head, went to the residence and shot and killed Vickie Danita Pickeral, 54, and Gregory Bruce Pickeral, 53, who are his in-laws and the grandparents of his children.  Sometime following the shooting, relatives arrived at the residence and the suspect shot at this vehicle injuring an 11-year-old boy.  The child fled the scene and was later treated for non-life threatening injuries.  The woman in the vehicle was injured but was not struck by gunfire.  The suspect fled the scene and the vehicle he was driving was reportedly involved in a single vehicle accident in La Plata.  When officers arrived they located the suspect deceased with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.  At this time, the motive has not been established and detectives are continuing their investigation.  Anyone with information is asked to call Det. J. Riffle at (301) 609-6501.

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.

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. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. 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. Tips can also be submitted online at www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com or by using the P3Intel mobile app, which can be found in the Android Store and Apple store by searching P3tips. For more information about the P3 program, click on this link: www.p3intel.com.