MoCo Man Gets 35 Years In Prison For Park Shooting That Sent Families Fleeing

ROCKVILLE, MD — A Gaithersburg man will serve decades in prison after he fired off multiple bullets during a flag football game at a Rockville park.

A Wednesday news release from the State's Attorney's Office states Kenneth Oates, 40, was sentenced to serve 100 years in prison for the October 2024 shooting, with all but 35 years suspended.

The sentencing, which was held Monday, comes after Oates was convicted on the following charges in April:

• One count of attempted second-degree murder
• One count of first-degree assault
• Two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence
• One count of illegal possession of a regulated firearm
• Violation of a protective order

Sunny Park Day Turns Into Terror

The case dates back to Oct. 26, 2024, when Oates' on-again, off-again girlfriend was attending a friend's flag football game at Rockville's Welsh Park.

Investigators say Oates began firing off multiple bullets after he emerged from a wooded area and approached the woman as she was sitting in her car and talking to a friend who stood outside.

A total of 14 bullets were fired by Oates, according to officials.

"The friend ran for his life through a field. He saw in his peripheral vision bullets striking the ground near him as he ran," reads the release.

As the friend ran away from the scene, the girlfriend quickly drove through the field to escape the gunfire.

The shooting also prompted families to seek safety, with reports detailing one father who laid atop his son. In another case, a 9-year-old boy testified that he hid at a playground before riding his bike back home to inform his parents what had happened.

"It is a miracle that no one was physically injured in this shooting. It happened on a sunny Saturday afternoon, in a space filled with families who will never forget the shooting at their park, where they thought they were safe," Assistant State’s Attorney and Special Victims Division Chief Debbie Feinstein said in a statement.

"This is a clear example of how domestic violence affects entire communities."

Oates is expected to serve an additional five years of supervised probation once he is released from prison.