Dan Belson, Howard County Times, Columbia, Md.
Updated ·4 min read
May 31—A man died overnight after Howard County Police say he shot four family members Thursday night, killing three and critically injuring a fourth before shooting himself.
Officers responded to the 6900 block of Norwood Ferry in Elkridge at about 10 p.m. after the 61-year-old suspect called 911 reporting he had shot his family members and that he intended to take his own life, Howard County Police spokesperson Sherry Llewellyn said at a Friday news conference.
Police arrived at the townhouse and found three adult women dead at the scene, as well as the suspect and his son critically injured by gunfire, and an uninjured 3-month-old girl.
Police identified the three women as the suspect's wife, Syeda Aalia Nayyar, 57; daughter, Syeda Fatima, 25; and daughter-in-law, Alizey Fatima, 33. The suspect's son, who remains at Shock Trauma in critical condition, was identified as Muhammad Ali Hamza, 31. The 3-month-old, who Llewellyn said will be in the care of another family member, was identified as the daughter of the suspect's son and daughter-in-law.
All of the people involved resided at the town house except for the suspect, Nayyar Abbas Syed, who died at Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital overnight.
Police have not yet determined what prompted the killings.
There had not been prior calls to the residence in the Belmont Station apartment complex, Llewellyn said. The suspect was known to regularly visit the town house, and there were no signs of forced entry, she said.
"When things like this happen, it's concerning and upsetting ... especially for the people who live in that community," Llewellyn said, calling the killing "an isolated incident — a very, very sad one."
"We're doing everything that we can to work with family members and the surviving son to make sure that we're doing what we can," she said.
Related Articles
—
Crime and Public Safety — 3 teens arrested in connection with Towson Town Center stabbing
—
Crime and Public Safety — Maryland sex trafficking case shows typical red flags for exploitation, experts say
—
Crime and Public Safety — Baltimore County Police looking for suspect related to fatal hit-and-run
—
Crime and Public Safety — Former youth baseball coach enters Alford plea in second Baltimore County sex abuse case
—
Crime and Public Safety — Former Olive Garden employee at White Marsh Mall files federal sexual harassment complaint
Police were still at the scene investigating on Friday morning, cordoning off a section of townhouses in the Belmont Station neighborhood, located off Washington Boulevard near Route 100. The complex of town houses and apartments was mostly quiet as neighbors started their day and wondered what had happened.
A resident of the apartment complex, who asked not to be identified due to safety concerns, expressed shock when told by a reporter what police said had happened Thursday night. She described the neighborhood as very quiet and peaceful, with plenty of families.
Online business records indicate Syed was once the owner of Limos 4 Less, a chauffeur service based in Baltimore. Riaz Ahmed, who answered the company's phone Friday, said Syed had not been involved with Limos 4 Less in about a year. Ahmed's son now owns the car service.
Ahmed said he and Syed used to play chess together and share updates about their families. The two last talked a couple of months ago and Ahmed had planned on giving his friend a call to check in before he heard about the shooting. He called the news "very shocking."
"He was a very kind person," Ahmed said. "I don't know what provoked him to do that."
The homicide investigation is the sixth this year for Howard County Police. Seven of the county's nine homicide victims so far this year were killed in what police have described as domestically related killings. Three were the suspect's daughter or son.
In January, police said a father killed his two teenage children in Glenelg in another domestic murder-suicide. Later that month, a 17-year-old died after being shot in a vehicle in Columbia. Police said last week that they were offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information on the killing, which investigators believe stemmed from "an altercation that occurred nearby earlier in the evening." Also in January, a snow plow driver was killed while working a morning shift at Children's Manor Montessori School.
The next month, a 67-year-old man was fatally shot in Columbia, and police later arrested a 41-year-old suspect, the boyfriend of the victim's daughter, on charges including first-degree murder. The same month, a woman was killed in Laurel before police say the suspect, a 26-year-old man, was fatally struck by a vehicle on Route 29.
Baltimore Sun reporter Amanda Yeager contributed to this article.
