(LINKWOOD, MD) – Maryland State Police have arrested two people in connection to the fatal shooting of a man in Dorchester County.

The first suspect, Douglas Lamont McKnight, 50, of Cambridge, Maryland, is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, robbery and the use of a firearm in a violent crime. He is being held without bail at the Dorchester County Detention Center.

The second suspect, Octavius Ralphfawn Thomas, 43, is charged with first-degree murder and second-degree murder with additional charges pending. He is being held at the Dorchester County Detention Center awaiting a bail review hearing.

Shortly after 2:20 p.m. on Sunday, deputies from the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a shooting in the 3700 block of Ocean Gateway in Linkwood, Maryland. According to a preliminary investigation, the victim, Douglas Washington McKnight, 77, of Linkwood, Maryland, was declared deceased at the scene.

 Homicide Unit investigators from the Maryland State Police were requested for the investigation and subsequently responded to the scene. The victim, who was the father of Douglas Lamont McKnight, was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy. His death was ruled a homicide due to multiple injuries. According to a preliminary investigation, robbery appears to have been the motive in this case.   

The Dorchester County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office are assisting with the investigation. Additional arrests associated with this case are possible. Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Maryland State Police at 443-480-6818.

The case remains under investigation.

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CONTACT: Office of Media Communication, msp.media@maryland.gov