Prince George’s County police arrested a suspect in a fatal shooting at a car meetup early Sunday morning.
Raheem Adams, 22, of Stafford, Virginia, is charged with first- and second-degree murder and other charges in the shooting of 26-year-old John Phipps in District Heights. Adams is in custody in Virginia awaiting extradition to Maryland.
About 1:45 a.m. Sunday, a Chevy Camaro was skidding around a shopping center parking lot on Marlboro Pike when at least three gunmen fired in the car’s direction.
Phipps’ loved ones say he was sitting in his car with his friends in the parking lot when he was hit by gunfire. He was pronounced dead a short time later, police said.
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“In the complete opposite direction of where the altercation started, and he was innocent, completely innocent,” said Jeff Watt, Phipps’ friend and coworker.
Another person in Phipps’ car was injured, police said.
Investigators say Adams was one of the shooters, according to charging documents.
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Phipps was a dedicated tow truck driver with lifelong passion for cars.
“I still don’t believe it, sometimes,” Watt said. “I mean, we worked together. We hung out on the weekends. I’d see him almost every single day. I’ve been coming to work the last three days looking for my best friend, and it’s weird not seeing him walking through the door.”
“He was one of those people that were just like, he was outgoing,” friend Isiah Goslee said. “He never had an issue with nobody; he never wanted to hurt nobody.”
Adams has been arrested multiple times and faced gun charges in the past.
The owner of the parking lot said it was unaware of the car meetup and that it was not authorized.
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