Arrest made in mother’s Md. death
Police in Maryland have charged a 29-year-old man with murder in the death of Michelle Cummings, a Houston woman who was struck by a stray bullet on a restaurant patio during a trip to attend her son’s induction ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy, authorities said Wednesday.
Angelo Harrod, 29, of Annapolis, Md., is charged with first- and second-degree murder, manslaughter and multiple weapon violations in Cummings’ June 29 death, Annapolis Police Chief Edward Jackson said at a news conference. He was being held without bond.
Jackson said Cummings was not Harrod’s intended victim. The suspect, police said, was targeting two others that night; he has been charged with attempted murder, as well.
Harrod was identified as a person of interest on the day of the shooting after investigators re
viewed video and photos, the chief said. Police said Harrod, who has a criminal record, had fled home confinement and cut off his monitoring device in early May. Officers approached him the night after the shooting, and following a struggle and foot chase, arrested him on outstanding warrants.
Jackson said he could not comment on a motive and acknowledged that a weapon hadn’t been recovered. The investigation is ongoing, and police continued to seek information from the public.
Cummings, 57, was sitting with her husband, Leonard, and another couple in the patio area of the Graduate Hotel — a short distance from the academy campus — when she was struck by the stray bullet. Jackson noted that the city is compact, with the hotel close to a neighborhood.
“It was just an errant shot,” the chief said. “The trajectory went over a concrete barrier and struck the victim as she was sitting on the patio.”
The couple was there to see their son, Leonard Cummings III, a Westfield High School graduate who had committed to play football for Navy, inducted into the academy.
“Why?” the younger Cummings, also known as “Trey,” tweeted shortly after his mother was killed. He attended Induction Day on June 30, the day after his mother’s death, and was granted leave to mourn before returning for summer training, Lt. Col. Todd McCarthy of the academy told the Capital newspaper.
Jackson said he phoned Cummings’ husband Leonard on Wednesday morning to inform him of the arrest.
“He paused when I told him the news and he said, ‘Thank you, chief. Thank you. My family thanks you.”
Leonard Cummings Jr. released a statement saying that he and his family were “elated that an arrest has been made in the senseless murder of my beloved wife, Michelle Cummings.”
“We hope and pray that this arrest will start the healing process by providing answers to the many questions that my family has about the circumstances surrounding her senseless death,” he said.
Cummings offered his appreciation to police and a long list of individuals and groups who have reached out, and offered “special thanks to all the wonderful folks across America who have kept Michelle’s story at the forefront and for supporting my family during the past three weeks.”
“We have been amazed and comforted by the outpouring of love, prayer, donations, and support from all corners of this great nation. This is only the beginning,” he added, vowing to be actively involved in seeing his wife’s killer brought to justice and “prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley thanked the police department for its work and said that he hoped news of the arrest could offer “some comfort” to the Cummings family.
Vice Adm. Sean Buck, the Naval Academy’s superintendent, also thanked law enforcement and offered condolences to the Cummings family.
“We appreciate the swift move to justice and we hope it’s a very small part of the contribution to the healing of the Cummings family,” Buck said.
He said the academy was working to assist in the re-entry of Leonard as part of the Class of 2021.
“We’ll welcome him back with open arms, and he’ll be a very proud part of the brigade and the Navy,” Buck said.
Jackson, the police chief, praised the department’s “good work.” He also said he was hit hard by Cummings’ killing in the colonial-era city of about 40,000 residents along the Chesapeake Bay.
“When this event happened, it just affected me in a way that a lot of cases haven’t,” he told reporters. “All of them are sad. But there’s something about it — it’s hard to explain — but this violence really affected me. What should have been just a fantastic celebratory time for their family just turned to the worst because of somebody else’s recklessness.”
“Some nights I couldn’t sleep, I felt rage,” said Jackson, recalling that he called colleagues to vent and talk about strategies for catching the killer.
There has been an outpouring of support for the Cummings family.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives offered a combined $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. Metro Crime Stoppers announced a $2,000 award.
The Annapolis Police Foundation raised around $30,000 to add to the reward with the help of academy alumni, community members and local restaurants, according to a report by KHOU. Jackson said that once police assess all tips, the reward money will be appropriate distributed.
A GoFundMe page, launched by fellow Navy football mom Veranna Phillips on the day of Cummings’ death, raised more than $146,000 in two weeks from over 2,700 donors — surpassing its original $100,000 goal. The funds will benefit Cummings’ husband and son, as well as help pay for Michelle Cummings’ funeral and burial.
Trey Cummings has said little since his mother’s death, but tweeted last week, “I Love You Mom.” And on Tuesday, he shared information about Cummings’ funeral services. A private memorial service will be held in Houston on Thursday night. The viewing and funeral will be held in Cummings’ hometown of Baton Rouge, La., Friday and Saturday.
Trey Cummings graduated in 2020 from Westfield High School in Spring ISD, where he played offensive guard on the football team. He later attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Rhode Island.
Phillips described Cummings as an “outstanding mother, wife, friend, and (sorority sister)” whose son was her “pride and joy.” Photos of Cummings at her son’s Signing Day that have circulated on social media show her beaming, shoulder to shoulder with him and wearing a Navy Tshirt.
“She was all in. She was so excited and ready to join us and support the mission that our sons have signed up for,” Michelle Pittman, a Dallas resident and mother of a Navy student, told the Capital. Pittman said she met Cummings a few weeks before she left for Houston.
“We talked and we welcomed her into our Navy mama family and I gave her a cute little pin for her to wear on her shirt for Iday,” Pittman told the newspaper. “I told her I will see her when she got to Annapolis.”
“We hope and pray that this arrest will start the healing process by providing answers to the many questions that my family has about the circumstances surrounding her senseless death.” Leonard Cummings Jr., husband of Michelle Cummings