WCBC

March 9th, 2018 by WCBC Radio

The investigation into the shooting which occurred shortly after noon on Wednesday, 03/07/2018, at the intersection of Arch Street and Third Street in Cumberland remains under investigation. C3I Investigators have interviewed a number of witnesses and have reviewed surveillance video.

Witnesses reported hearing anywhere between 6 and 8 shots being fired out in the street during the incident. Law enforcement recovered a total of 8 shell casings from a .22 caliber firearm at the scene, verifying that a shooting had occurred.

Witnesses were able to describe how a lone suspect was seen firing at two individuals during the incident, which helped Investigators locate and identify the two intended victims, a 21 year old male and a 16 year old male, both from Cumberland. The victims and witnesses were also able to provide a description of the suspect and the clothing he was wearing.

That information was broadcast to all responding law enforcement. An off-duty Cumberland Officer who was responding to the scene observed a subject matching the description of the suspect on Race Street, running from the direction of the crime scene. When the suspect observed the Officer he ran into a private residence on Race Street.

Law enforcement converged on the location and were able to take the suspect, identified as 19 year old Michael Paul Ceasar Jr., into custody at that time on an outstanding warrant from the State of Pennsylvania for parole violations.

Through continued interviews and review of surveillance cameras, Investigators were able to determine that Ceasar was the suspect involved in the shooting. A search of the Race Street residence resulted in the recovery of a semi-automatic .22 caliber handgun that the suspect had hidden. The recovered handgun is believed to be the one used during the incident, and matched the description that witnesses provided of the one used by the suspect.

Ceasar was charged with two counts each of Attempted 2nd Degree Murder, 1st Degree Assault, 2nd Degree Assault, the Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, and one count of a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Regulated Firearm. He was taken before a District Court Commissioner for an initial appearance and was ordered held without bond at the Allegany County Detention Center, pending his next court appearance.

Investigators have learned that the gun that was recovered was reported stolen in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Ceasar is formerly from Lewistown, Pennsylvania. They have further learned that Ceasar is prohibited from possessing a regulated firearm due to previous criminal convictions in Pennsylvania.

No one was injured during the incident. There was no known relationship between the suspect and the intended victims that has been disclosed to Investigators. The motive for the incident is also unknown at this time.

During the initial response of law enforcement to the shooting, the Allegany County 911 Dispatch Center received a telephone call from a private citizen reporting that there was currently an "active shooter" at the HRDC building on Virginia Avenue, just one block away from the initial shooting incident. Allegany County 911 dispatchers correctly began dispatching all available law enforcement to that location.

Law enforcement personnel from the Cumberland Police, the Maryland State Police, the Allegany County Sheriff's Office, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police, and C3I all responded. With the assistance of the Cumberland Police CERT Team the building was cleared, and it was determined that there was no shooter at that location.

Investigation into the initial phone call to 911 revealed that a volunteer at HRDC had texted a family member to advise them that they were "locked in a room" due to the HRDC building being placed on lock down as a result of the shooting which had just occurred one block away at the intersection of Arch Street and Third Street. The family member who received the text tried to call them back, but received no answer. Under the mistaken belief that the shooter was at HRDC, this family member called another family member, who in turn then contacted the Allegany County 911 Dispatch Center to report that there was an "active shooter" at HRDC.

With this information, law enforcement was appropriately dispatched to HRDC on the belief that this report of an "active shooter" was related to the actual shooting which had just occurred at Arch Street and Third Street. After a thorough search, no shooter was discovered, and it was determined that there had been miscommunication on the part of the initial caller to 911. It was determined that the caller legitimately believed that there was a shooter at HRDC, and that there was no intent to make a false report to 911 or law enforcement.