Naval Academy Mom's Death Leads To Arrest: Police

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Police announced Wednesday that they arrested a suspect involved in the fatal shooting of Midshipman mother Michelle Jordan Cummings of Houston. Officers identified the accused man as 29-year-old Angelo Harrod of Annapolis. Authorities specified that they are holding Harrod without bail at the Jennifer Road Detention Center on charges of:

• First-degree murder
• Second-degree murder
• Attempted murder
• Involuntary manslaughter
• Manslaughter
• Use of a firearm in a violent crime
• Being in possession of a loaded firearm
• Reckless endangerment

Annapolis Chief of Police Edward Jackson said this case affected him more than most violent crimes.

"Some nights I couldn’t sleep," Jackson recalled at a Wednesday press conference. "I felt rage."

The Investigation

Cummings, 57, was shot and killed by a stray bullet in downtown Annapolis on June 29, police announced. Officers informed that she was in town for her son's induction into the U.S. Naval Academy.

"This was a horrific outcome for the kind of everyday gun violence that many cities across America see," Mayor Gavin Buckley said at a late June press conference. "Annapolis sadly is not immune."

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The shooting happened around 12:21 a.m., an incident report added. The Houston mom was sitting on a hotel patio in the unit block of West Street with the parents of another incoming midshipman, Jackson explained. Medics pronounced Cummings dead on the scene, the write-up disclosed.

Jackson mentioned that the shots were fired on nearby Pleasant Street. Cummings was not the intended target, the chief clarified, but multiple stray bullets struck her. Authorities indicated that the shooter was aiming for two uninjured victims, prompting the charges of attempted murder.

"Celebrating their son going into one of the best institutions in the United States turned into a tragic event," the chief commented, noting that the son is a prospect for the Navy Football team.

Jackson advised that officers on June 29 spotted Harrod, who was then a person of interest, at the intersection of Forest Drive and Tyler Avenue. Police reported that they arrested Harrod that day on an outstanding warrant, as he escaped from home detention by cutting off his ankle tracker. Officials shared that they eventually charged him with murder after they secured enough evidence.

"My job is to make sure the city is safe," Jackson said. "Every time this happens, it’s very upsetting. I take it personally."

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$57,000 Reward

The arrest came days after the reward pool grew to $57,000. Anonymous Naval Academy graduates on Friday offered an extra $25,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in the case. Officials wrote that this donation, in partnership with nonprofit Annapolis Police Foundation, added to the:

• $2,000 reward from the Metro Crime Stoppers
• $10,000 reward from the FBI
• $10,000 reward from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
• $10,000 reward from the State of Maryland

"Someone knows something," Jackson said in a press release before the arrest. "This additional monetary incentive will hopefully make someone do the right thing and come forward."

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• Naval Academy Mom Shot, Killed Before Son's Induction Day: Police

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