A 4-year-old girl and her mother were found fatally shot at a Maryland hotel, and police say they have arrested an acquaintance of the mother in connection with their deaths.
Hagerstown police said the victims are 4-year-old Khori Ashton and her mother, Elise Wars, 40. Staff at the APM Inn and Suites in Hagerstown found their bodies Wednesday in a room at the hotel, which is located at at 431 Dual Highway. They called police about 4:20 p.m.
The mother and daughter had been living in the hotel for several months, according to investigators.
Police say the victims had apparent gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene. Criminal investigators and the Western Maryland Regional Crime Lab were called to investigate.
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Through their investigation, authorities identified a suspect in the killings, 22-year-old Javon Hines, of no fixed address. Police said Hines was an acquaintance of Wars. Officers found Hines in Elkridge, Maryland, and took him into custody without incident Thursday afternoon, police said.
"Our hearts go out to the victims' family and friends," Hagerstown police said in a news release Thursday evening. "A special thanks to our investigators and crime scene unit that worked around the clock to make this arrest happen."
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Det. Dietz at jdietz@hagerstownpd.org or 240-313-4350.
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Police said they believed this was "a targeted and deliberate crime" but did not release any information on a possible motive.
