Stray bullets struck and killed the mother of a Navy midshipman as she sat on a hotel patio in Annapolis, Maryland, just after midnight Tuesday, police say.
Michelle Cummings, 57, from Houston, was sitting with her husband and another couple at the patio of the Graduate Hotel on West Street about 12:20 a.m. when bullets struck her, police said. The hotel is less than a mile away from the United States Naval Academy and the Maryland State House.
Medics tried to save her, but she was pronounced dead at the hotel, police said.
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Police Chief Edward Jackson said Cummings was shot more than once. He said his department believes shots came from gunfire on Pleasant Street.
Cummings and her husband had just brought their son to Annapolis to settle into the Naval Academy, Jackson said. The son is a football prospect at the school, he said.
"What turned out to be a celebratory occasion … turned into a tragic event," Jackson said.
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Cummings' son was scheduled to be sworn in as an incoming plebe Wednesday night. News4's Shomari Stone reports he planned to go through with the induction ceremony.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to call 410-260-3439 or call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP and submit an anonymous tip.
On Wednesday, the FBI and ATF announced each agency is offering a combined $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
"Turn yourself in. We're coming after you," Jackson said.
Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.
