Suspect sought in slaying of Lexington Park woman, 26
Her cousin also wounded outside Waldorf nightclub
An arrest warrant has been issued for the suspected shoot- er who reportedly opened fire outside a crowded sports bar in Waldorf, killing one person and wounding another, short- ly after a fight broke out in- side during the early morning hours on Saturday.
Police are actively seeking Anthony Dangelo Wilkins, 33, of Waldorf, accused of firing several shots, one which fatally struck Miaquita Gray, 26, of Lexington Park in the upper body, outside the Beer 4 U sports bar, according to a Charles County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson. Another round grazed the leg of a 24-year-old man, a cousin of
the slain woman.
Gray, who did not appear to be the intended target, died shortly after at a nearby hospital, the spokesperson said.
Around 1:25 a.m. on Satur- day, sheriff’s office deputies responded to the sports bar located at 2177 Crain Highway for a reported shooting, police stated. Through their investigation, detectives determined a man was assaulted inside the bar by a group of suspects, just minutes before. When the 24-year-old man, also acquaint- ed with the man who had been attacked, went outside to speak with Gray in the parking lot, Wilkins allegedly pulled out a gun and fired several shots.
Gray, who worked as an assistant manager at a depart- ment store in St. Mary’s Laurel Glen shopping center, was a 2008 graduate of Great Mills High School and took business courses for two years at the College of Southern Maryland, according to her mother, Delores Gray, a retired St. Mary’s correctional officer.
Miaquita Gray went to the club with some cousins, including one who was singing there that night in collaboration with her boyfriend, the club’s DJ, her mother said.
A group of people confronted the DJ in a bathroom, where they “beat him up and robbed him,” Delores Gray said, adding that her daughter and her companions went outside, before her cousin was wounded. “The bullet that hit [him] in the leg killed my daughter,” Delores Gray said. “It ricocheted off him.”
When Miaquita Gray was not working, her mother said, she enjoyed “going to the beach and to the park, and going with me shopping. She loved having little campfires [at the beach], and sitting, relaxing and talking.”
In addition to her cousins, the young woman had two older brothers and a sister.
“Most important [to her] was family time,” her mother said. “They’re taking it hard, really hard. Everybody’s mad, and upset.”
King, a pit-bull terrier, lived with Gray at her home in the Patuxent Park neighborhood.
“She’s not here anymore,” her mother said, “so he’s been acting up.”
A prayer vigil for Miaquita Gray was planned for Tuesday evening.
“Her infectious smile lit up the world,” her mother said. “She loved life.”
Wilkins and other suspects in the case remain at large, and a cash reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.
Anthony Dangelo Wilkins is 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighs 190 pounds, has long hair he wears in corn rows, and has multiple tattoos on his neck, chest and arms. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. B. Buchanan at 301-609-6477. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866411-TIPS, texting CHARLES + the tip to CRIMES (274637) or submitting tips online at tipsubmit.com.