Maryland police find pregnant woman dead in apartment of shooting suspect

Police officers in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., searching an apartment to apprehend a suspect in the fatal shooting of a convenience store clerk also discovered inside the body of a woman believed to be pregnant and who had been dead for some time, authorities said.

Torrey Moore, 31, of Silver Spring, was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm while committing a felony in Thursday’s gas station shooting, the Montgomery County police department said in a news release. The clerk, identified by police as Ayalew Wondimu, 61, of Silver Spring, was pronounced dead at the scene, news outlets reported.

Police were still investigating the circumstances of the death of the woman, whose name has not been released.

MARYLAND POLICE ARREST EASTERN SHORE MAN FOR DOUBLE HOMICIDE

Investigators had tracked Moore to apartment buildings where he lived, and they entered his apartment with a search warrant. The officers took Moore into custody without incident, according to Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones, and found a handgun and the body of the dead woman on the floor.

Jones said Moore had told police that the woman found in his home was eight months pregnant. “He told detectives he was in a relationship with the female … and that there had been some type of fight between the two about one month prior, that led to the victim becoming deceased,” Jones said. The woman’s body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy.

Police found Wondimu on the floor behind the cash register counter with multiple gunshot wounds. A preliminary investigation shows that Moore entered the store, selected merchandise and approached the counter, the police news release said. A verbal altercation then occurred, according to police.

Moore was being held at the Montgomery County Detention Center without bond and was expected to appear in court Monday, officials said. It wasn’t clear whether Moore has an attorney.