Man Kills Dogs, Driver During Carjackings, Faces Charges: Prince George's Police

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A 22-year-old Washington, D.C., man has been charged in connection to the murder of 56-year-old Kurt Modeste of La Plata, as well as the fatal shooting of two dogs in a carjacked vehicle.

On July 2 at approximately 12:10 p.m., the Prince George's County Police Department was alerted to a carjacking that had just happened in the area of Addison Road South and Rolling Ridge Drive in Capitol Heights. A preliminary investigation revealed that Daeyon Ross had carjacked a Honda CRV at gunpoint.

A short distance away at Central Avenue and Ritchie Road, Ross was involved in a crash in the stolen CRV. Ross ran from that crash scene and into the parking lot of a fast food restaurant on Ritchie Road. Ross approached an Acura ILX in the drive-thru lane and shot the driver, Modeste, multiple times during an attempted carjacking, according to the police department.

Modeste took off after being shot and drove a short distance away, but was pronounced dead a short time later. After the shooting, Ross carjacked a Toyota Scion that also was in the drive-thru lane. Three dogs were inside of this vehicle. Ross shot and killed two of the dogs then took off in the Scion heading westbound on Central Avenue. Officers from multiple police agencies pursued Ross into Washington, D.C., according to the police department.

At the intersection of 52nd Street and Sheriff Road, Ross exited the carjacked Scion and carjacked a fourth vehicle, a GMC Terrain. He was involved in a crash in the Terrain a short distance away. As officers approached the scene, an officer with the Capitol Heights Police Department engaged with Ross and was embroiled in an officer-involved shooting. Neither the officer nor Ross was struck. Ross was taken into custody and a loaded weapon was recovered at the scene, according to the police department.

Ross is in custody in Washington, D.C., pending extradition to Prince George’s County. The Prince George’s County Police Department has charged him with first- and second-degree murder, armed carjacking, assault, firearms offenses, aggravated cruelty to an animal and additional charges.

Anyone with information about this case who would like to speak to a homicide unit detective can call 301-516-2512.