Police said the woman identified her boyfriend as the shooter before officers located his SUV minutes later on St. Barnabas Road.
TEMPLE HILLS, Md. — A woman was hospitalized after she told police her boyfriend shot her Tuesday morning in Prince George’s County, and officers later found the man dead inside an SUV from what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Prince George’s County police said the case began around 7:15 a.m. Sept. 22 in the 5300 block of Fisher Road. The woman reported that her boyfriend had shot her and fled in a vehicle. She was able to provide officers with a description of the vehicle, giving patrol officers information that helped them locate a matching SUV nearby. The woman survived and was taken to a hospital, where officials later said she was in stable condition.
Deputy Chief James Keleti said officers spotted an SUV matching the description at about 7:25 a.m. in a shopping center parking lot in the 4800 block of St. Barnabas Road. Police attempted to stop the vehicle and ordered the driver to get out. The SUV had heavily tinted windows, and officers did not receive a response from the person inside.
Police then treated the encounter as a barricade situation. The department activated additional resources, including its conflict management team and special operations personnel, as officers worked at the shopping center. Authorities did not immediately establish whether the driver was alive when police first encountered the SUV.
When officers approached the vehicle, they found the man dead inside. Keleti said investigators believe he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police said he was the only person in the SUV, and a firearm was recovered at the scene. Officials had not publicly identified him in the initial reports reviewed Wednesday.
The shooting prompted two connected police scenes within a short distance of each other: the Fisher Road location where the woman was wounded and the St. Barnabas Road shopping center where officers located the SUV. Police closed part of St. Barnabas Road while officers handled the barricade response and investigated the death.
A witness who spoke with NBC4 Washington said he encountered the wounded woman at the apartment complex and called 911. Police said the woman herself was also able to identify her boyfriend as the person who shot her and provide information about the vehicle in which he left. Authorities have not released additional details about what led to the shooting.
Investigators also had not said whether police previously responded to incidents involving the couple. Keleti described the episode as tragic for the woman and for both families. Authorities have not announced criminal charges, and the man’s death means the investigation is focused on establishing the sequence and circumstances of the shooting and his later death.
St. Barnabas Road reopened after being closed for several hours near Raleigh Road and Temple Hills Road. Prince George’s County police said the investigation remains ongoing, while the woman continued recovering from her injuries.
Author note: Last updated September 23, 2026.