On January 12, 2022, 19-year-old Joseph James Oakes was killed in a drive-by shooting in Lexington Park, Maryland. Deputies responded to a reported shooting near Pegg Road and Westbury Boulevard and found two males with gunshot wounds; Oakes was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators recovered seven 9mm shell casings in the Pegg Road area by Ronald Drive. An autopsy confirmed Oakes died from a gunshot wound to his upper body.

The attack occurred while Oakes and five other teenagers were riding in a vehicle near Pegg Road and Watt Drive; the vehicle continued to Westbury Boulevard and then crashed into a median. One passenger suffered a gunshot wound to his arm and another a grazing wound to his leg; a 17-year-old male was taken to a trauma center.

Several arrests followed in January and February 2022, and the suspects were charged with murder, attempted murder, assault and handgun offenses. Does anyone have information about Joseph’s movements that afternoon or about the vehicle and people he was with?