Montgomery County Police

‘We Fed Him': Maryland Murder Suspect Was Family Friend, Victim's Parents Say

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The suspect in the death of a Maryland man was a friend of the family, the victim’s parents said at a candlelight vigil Friday evening.

Montgomery County police arrested and charged 19-year-old Rodjaun Orlando Neal-Williams of Clarksburg with second-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Javon Jamal Gordon of Boyds.

Officers responding to a report of a shooting Tuesday evening found Gordon suffering an apparent gunshot wound in the 12900 block of Ethal Rose Way, police said. He died at the scene.

Detectives say Gordon was on foot when he had an argument with Neal-Williams, who was a passenger in a car. Neal-Williams shot Gordon during the dispute, police said.

"We knew the young man,” the victim’s father, Michael Short, said about Neal-Williams.

“He slept in our home,” said the victim’s mother, Ivory Gordon. “We fed him."

Friends say Gordon was well-mannered, respectful, loved football and was a good friend.

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"He loved his family so much; he loved his friends,” his mother said. “He would do anything for them, you know, and that's how we're going to remember him."

Neal-Williams was arrested Friday and is being held without bond. He could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

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