A construction worker from Owings Mills was one of four people who died in a terrifying murder-suicide Monday afternoon, according to police.
Police say, Christopher Wilson Snyder, 41, killed three people before turning the gun on himself in the 22000 block of Brown Farm Way.
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The details of the shooting are still unclear at the time, but according to the release, there were three people who were killed at 22002 Brown Farm Way and three people that were able to escape.
Snyder's wife says that she had been held in Snyder's home, 22001 Brown Farm Way, against her will over the weekend and had finally found an opportunity to escape to the neighbor's house. Police believe that this caused Snyder to go to the house next door and shoot the three people.
54-year-old Craig Harold Shotwell, a construction worker from Owings Mills, was one of the three killed. Police say he was simply working on Snyder's neighbors home during the shooting.
The other two people killed were Mary Anne Olson, 66, who was Snyder's neighbor, and 70-year-old Danny Lee Murphy who had come from South Dakota to visit Snyder's neighbors.
Officers originally responded to the house on Brown Farm Way after numerous 911 calls coming from the area. When officials did make it to the scene they found Olson, Shotwell, and Murphy dead in the house.
Police believe after killing those three people, Snyder then ran to his home next door and barricaded himself inside. After hours of negotiation with police, Snyder eventually shot himself.
The victim, Craig Shotwell has children that went to Liberty Christian School. The principal and assistant principal of the institution sent a letter out to parents regarding this incident.
Friends,
It is with deep regret and a heavy heart that we inform you of a recent loss to our school community. On Monday afternoon 3 people were shot and killed in a possible domestic situation in Montgomery County. You may have seen the story on the news. Two of those victims were part of our LCS community. Mrs. Mary Olson, mother of Brian Olson (class of 2005, husband of Maggie Dumas (2005) and son-in-law of Mrs. Dumas) and Anna Olson Pfieffer (class of 2007) was one of the victims. Mr. Craig Shotwell, father of current student and former student was also killed. He had been working at the home at the time of the shooting. Death can be difficult for us to understand, especially when it is sudden, and therefore we hope to have crisis counselors available over the next few days to support our students and their families. People will react in different ways to emergencies of this nature so it will be important to assist students as they express their feelings of shock, sadness, or confusion. While it is important to deal with loss and grief, we believe it is essential to resume our normal routines as soon as possible. Thank you for your support as we work together to cope with this tragic event. We will share any arrangement information as it becomes available as well as any needs the affected families may have. Our prayer is that God would be glorified even through this difficult time. Please join us in praying for the Olson, Dumas, and Shotwell families.
In Christ,
Monica Gicking , Principal
Marcia Antoine, Asst. Principal
This incident is still being investigated by multiple law enforcement agencies.
