Woman Dead, 4 Men Injured in Forestville Shooting

A shooting left one woman dead and four men injured on a residential street in Forestville, Maryland, early Tuesday.

Prince George's County police officers were called to the 6500 black of Hil Mar Drive about 1:30 a.m. for the report of a shooting. They arrived to find the victims suffering from gunshot wounds outside some homes.

Joanne Woods, 49, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say one of the men is in critical condition; the others suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Neighbors said they heard a lot of gunshots and saw a woman fall to the ground.

"It sounded like they just emptied a whole clip," neighbor Reggie Randolph said.

Residents are wondering if security cameras on the apartments across the street recorded the quadruple shooting. A witness watching from her apartment says she saw a man firing before he jumped into a car that sped away.

Some people here are so afraid that they didn't want to say anything. But Randolph said he wonders when the violence will stop.

"Just seemed like people don't have [any] regards for human life," he said. "I don't understand it. I really don't."

"Violence is not the answer," said Abraham Scott, another neighbor.

A car with a shot-out window sat at the crime scene, marked as evidence. Detectives picked up bullets off the street.

No arrests have been made at this time. Police do not believe the shooting was random.

"We have our homicide detectives out actively working to suspects and motives," said Officer Tyler Hunter of Prince George's County Police.

Woods' friend Vernon Paige told News4's Pat Collins she recently turned her life around and got a job as a school bus attendant. He does not believe she was the target of the shooting.

Anyone with information that can help police is asked to call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-8477.

Contact Us