On the night of July 12, 2024, 24-year-old Shahid Omar Jr. of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was fatally shot in the parking lot of Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School. The shooting occurred as attendees were dispersing from a vigil for three of Omar’s friends, former high school football players who had died in a car crash. A woman was also wounded; her injuries were not life-threatening. Omar was taken to a nearby hospital and died shortly after arrival.

Omar worked as a youth care worker and was remembered by family as kind, good-hearted, chill, loving, and comedic. He was engaged and had a daughter; his son was born about a month after his death. Investigators recovered a gun at the scene but have not publicly identified suspects or a motive, and no arrests have been announced. The Prince George’s County Police Department is offering up to a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment.

Omar’s parents have become activists against gun violence, organizing rallies and urging witnesses to come forward. If anyone at the vigil or nearby that night has information, please contact investigators.