In the pre-dawn darkness of a Thursday morning, 55-year-old Derrick Bowen was found shot in a Landover, Maryland, roadway, his life taken in an act of violence that remains unsolved. A resident of nearby Forestville, Mr. Bowen was a male whose death on October 29, 2026, marked the beginning of a grim, week-long stretch of violence in Prince George's County.
The call came in to the Prince George's County Police Department at approximately 5:15 a.m. Officers were dispatched to the 1700 block of Belle Haven Drive, a residential street lined with brick apartment buildings and townhomes just off Landover Road. There, lying in the street, they discovered Derrick Bowen suffering from one or more gunshot wounds. Despite any efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Homicide Unit of the Prince George’s County Police Department immediately launched an investigation. In the initial hours and days that followed, police worked to notify Mr.
Bowen's family before publicly identifying him on November 3. Detectives began the arduous process of piecing together the events that led to him being shot and left on the street in the early morning darkness, but no suspect or motive was immediately apparent.
Mr. Bowen’s death was one of three homicides to occur in Prince George’s County on October 29 alone, contributing to a total of seven killings in the seven days between October 29 and November 3. The other victims that Thursday were Jose Edin Hernandez Vasquez, 26, who was fatally stabbed in a College Park home at 4:15 a.m., and Omar Jonathan Ventura Ajbal, 18, who was found shot in a park in the Hyattsville area at 10:55 a.m. Police officials stated that the three cases appeared to be isolated and unrelated.
The violence on Belle Haven Drive was not confined to that single incident. Less than a week later, on November 3, police were called back to the same street, this time to the 1900 block, for another fatal shooting where a man was found deceased inside an apartment building. Authorities did not publicly state whether they believed the two killings on the same street in such a short time frame were connected. This sudden spike in violence was particularly alarming as it followed a period of significant decline in homicides for the county. Prior to these events, murders were reportedly down 33% from the same time in 2025 and 55% from 2024.
As of early November 2026, the investigation into Derrick Bowen's murder is ongoing. No arrests have been made, and the police have not released any information about potential suspects or what might have led to the fatal shooting. The case remains open as detectives continue to seek answers for his family and the community shaken by the sudden loss.
The Prince George's County Police Department urges anyone with information relevant to the death of Derrick Bowen to come forward. Homicide Unit detectives can be reached at 301-516-2512. Callers can refer to case number 26-0057629.
