A man was detained about 14 hours after a shooting inside the MGM National Harbor in Maryland left one man dead on Wednesday, according to Prince George’s County police.
According to authorities, Benjamin Williams, 22, of Fort Washington, is charged with murder, assault, and weapons possession in the shooting death of 23-year-old Darnell Hawkins Jr. of Washington, D.C.
Officials say video from the casino helped them make the arrest.
“There’s almost no areas in MGM that are not covered by video, and that was instrumental in bringing this case to a swift close,” Prince George’s County Police Chief George Nader said during a news conference Thursday.
Investigators are still determining the motivation for the shooting, but they believe Williams and Hawkins knew each other.
Williams is being kept in custody pending a court hearing, according to police.
Anyone with information on the shooting is encouraged to contact detectives at 301-516-2512.
Police respond to “targeted shooting” at MGM
Officers reacted to what they described as a “targeted shooting” inside the MGM National Harbor casino around noon on Wednesday.
The gunshot was reported in the food court, and authorities arrived to discover Hawkins dead. No other injuries were reported.
“It wasn’t random,” Chief Nader said. “This person did not happen upon this person. It appeared that they were looking for this person, chased him down, and the shooting occurred right there in the food court.”
Officers said that the suspect was seen in the casino parking lot before to entering. Following the incident, Williams escaped in a car.
He was eventually apprehended at a residence in Prince George’s County, officials said.
The casino’s food court closed Wednesday evening, while the remainder of the casino remained open while police investigated.
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