Deputies responding to gunfire found the suspect outside and his 55-year-old sister mortally wounded inside the Huntingtown residence.
HUNTINGTOWN, Md. — A Calvert County man is being held without bond on murder charges after deputies responding to an early-morning report of gunfire found his sister fatally wounded inside their Huntingtown home, authorities said.
Troy Elliott Harrod, 43, was arrested Oct. 12 and charged with first-degree and second-degree murder in the death of 55-year-old Alva Larita Harrod. The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office said patrol deputies responded shortly before 5 a.m. to the 4400 block of Harvey Road, where they encountered Harrod standing outside the residence.
Authorities said Harrod told arriving deputies that he had shot someone. Deputies entered the home and found Alva Harrod suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Responders attempted lifesaving measures, but she was pronounced dead. Investigators recovered a rifle and shell casings inside the residence, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting unfolded while another family member was inside the house. According to a police report cited by FOX 5 DC, Alva Harrod’s daughter heard several gunshots and her mother’s screams before barricading herself in a bedroom and calling 911. No physical injuries to the daughter were reported in the accounts reviewed.
After Harrod was detained, authorities said he made statements indicating that he believed others were trying to take his house. A local report based on law enforcement records said he also made an unsolicited statement during processing about a dispute involving the home. Investigators have not publicly established a motive, and statements attributed to Harrod have not been tested in court.
The siblings lived together at the Harvey Road home, according to family information reported by FOX 5 DC. Relatives said Alva Harrod had worked for M&T Bank in Dunkirk. Authorities have released few additional details about the events immediately preceding the shooting or whether there had been earlier calls for police service at the residence.
The victim’s daughter gave investigators information about concerns over Harrod’s behavior and possible mental health issues, according to the police report cited by FOX 5 DC. Those statements represent a witness account and are not a confirmed medical finding. A court will separately consider whether Harrod is mentally competent to participate in the criminal proceedings against him.
A competency hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23. Maryland law defines a defendant as incompetent to stand trial when the person cannot understand the nature or purpose of the proceeding or cannot assist in the defense. The competency question is separate from whether Harrod is guilty of either murder charge and does not resolve what his mental state may have been during the shooting.
Harrod does not appear to have a reported history of violent convictions in Maryland, according to court-record reporting reviewed for this story. FOX 5 DC reported that court records show he pleaded guilty to a drunken-driving offense in Calvert County in 2018. No connection between that earlier case and the current charges has been reported.
The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office said detectives with its Criminal Investigations Bureau continue to investigate the killing. Harrod remains jailed without bond, and the Oct. 23 competency hearing is the next publicly reported step in the case.
Author note: Last updated October 14, 2026.