A 22-year-old man accused of shooting at a state trooper during a traffic stop in Baltimore has also been charged in a separate murder case in Montgomery County, authorities said.
Maurquise Emillo James faces attempted murder, felony assault, and multiple firearm charges following the Feb. 24 shooting involving the Maryland State Police.
Montgomery County investigators have also identified James as the suspect in the fatal shooting of 87-year-old Robert Fuller Jr., a philanthropist who was killed Feb. 14 at the Cogir Potomac Senior Living Facility. Fuller was found unresponsive inside his apartment and pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives later determined he had been shot in the head.
James, who worked as a medication technician at the facility, has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held in Montgomery County pending a bond hearing.
Authorities say ballistic evidence linked the two cases. After recovering a shell casing from the Potomac homicide scene, investigators entered it into a database, which later matched evidence from the Baltimore trooper shooting, according to the Montgomery County Police Department.
According to state police, a trooper attempted to stop a gray Infiniti G37 early Tuesday morning at the intersection of Belle Avenue and Milford Avenue in Baltimore because the vehicle had no headlights or license plates.
As the trooper approached the driver’s side, officials said the door opened slightly and the driver — identified as James — fired two shots from inside the vehicle. The trooper did not return fire but suffered powder burns due to the close range of the gunfire. He was transported to a hospital and did not sustain gunshot wounds.
James allegedly fled eastbound on Belle Avenue.
James was arrested around 3 p.m. Tuesday in Montgomery County following a coordinated effort involving state, local, and federal agencies. Search warrants were executed at residences linked to him in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, where investigators recovered evidence, including the Infiniti G37.
The Maryland State Police were assisted by the FBI and multiple local departments during the investigation.
Authorities said the case remains active as James faces prosecution in both jurisdictions.
