In late October 2017 a planned drug transaction in Laurel, Maryland ended in the death of 14-year-old Xavier Cole Young of Odenton. On the evening of October 28, Xavier met several other teenagers on North Laurel Road for what authorities say was a prearranged drug deal. An altercation broke out and a single shot fired from a car window struck Xavier. He was found with a critical gunshot wound around 11 p.m., taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, and died there on Monday, October 30, 2017.

Howard County police identified and located three teenagers in connection with the shooting. Officers found 19-year-old Luis Gerardo Ordonez and 16-year-old Francisco J. Rodriguez in a black Nissan Altima that matched the vehicle seen leaving the scene; a handgun was discovered inside the car. A third 16-year-old, Melvin Jacome, was also arrested. All three were charged as adults with murder, assault, reckless endangerment, and firearms violations. Testimony at trial described the transaction as a planned robbery and shortchanging scheme that escalated; Rodriguez testified that Jacome fired the pistol that killed Xavier, and text messages from Jacome’s phone were introduced suggesting his role.

If anyone was present on North Laurel Road that night or has information about the events leading up to Xavier’s shooting, please share what is known.