Sixteen-year-old Derrick Palmer was shot and killed inside his Beltsville, Maryland, home on May 10, 2025. Derrick was in his bedroom on Heartwood Drive with two friends when one of them, 18-year-old Kimaury Kamara, was reportedly handling a handgun, believed by Kamara to be unloaded. A round struck Derrick in the head; police arrived about 4:25 p.m. and he died after being taken to a hospital. Derrick was a junior at John F. Kennedy High School who played football and enjoyed video games and time with friends. Thirty minutes before the shooting, his father had stopped by to drop off Mother’s Day flowers and briefly spoke with him.

Investigators say officers found multiple firearms in the bedroom, including a ghost gun with a machine gun conversion switch. Kamara was arrested and charged with manslaughter and related weapons offenses and is being held without bond at the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections; the manslaughter charge carries up to 10 years and the weapons counts up to 20 years. The community and Derrick’s family are mourning his sudden death.

If anyone was in or near the Homewood Drive/Heartwood Drive area that afternoon or has information about the weapons in the house, please come forward.