Bowie Police to Hold Community Meeting for Midwood Lane Residents

A public safety meeting is planned to discuss loitering and other problems in the area where a Bowie man was shot to death.

The Bowie Police Department will host the meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, to focus on issues affecting the area of Midwood Lane and Belair Swim and Racquet Club. Proposed improvements and crime prevention strategies will also be discussed.

The meeting will take place at the Kenhill Center, 2614 Kenhill Drive in Bowie.

Community leaders have been organizing since Deon Eugene Warren, 19, of Upper Marlboro, was arrested Oct. 1 and charged with first-degree murder in the Sept. 30 shooting death of Mitchell White, 39, of Flamingo Lane in Bowie. Prince George’s County Police say White was fatally shot as he tried to break up a fight between teenagers in the Bel Air Swim and Racquet Club parking lot.

The shooting happened near a tree-lined area close to Bowie High School.

A prayer vigil was held at the site of the shooting on Tuesday to combat the violence and support White’s family.

“The clergy of the area are calling for a gathering of the community in response to this violent tear in the fabric of our community. We hope to bring healing and closure. We will reclaim the space. There is no space that is not sacred,” said the Rev. Cynthia Snavely in response to the shooting.

The Interfaith Council is working with private citizens, individual houses of worship, elected officials, and other community leaders on this event.

Rabbi Steve Weisman of Bowie’s Temple Solel added, “Others may attempt to define Bowie through this senseless violence, but it is up to us, the Bowie community, to reject such characterizations, to come together and say loudly and clearly ‘We are one,’ and ‘We will not let this happen in our community again.’”

Related stories:

Faith Leaders Hold Prayer Service in Wake of Bowie Murder

Murder Suspect Arrested in Shooting Near Bowie Swim Club

One Dies in Shooting Outside Bowie Swim Club

» Rabbi Steve Weisman of Temple Solel in Bowie leads a prayer service at the site where a man was shot and killed outside Bel Air Swim and Racquet Club. Credit: Courtesy of City of Bowie.