16-Year-Old Boy Shot Dead During Argument

A 16-year-old boy was shot to death and another teenager was wounded after an argument in Riverdale Heights on Wednesday night, Prince George's County police and witnesses said.

Police responding to a report of a shooting found Marcos Medina, 16, and a 17-year-old male about 11:30 p.m. in the 5300 block of 56th Avenue. Both were taken to a hospital, where Medina later died. The 17-year-old, police said, was treated and released.

Tom Wertz Sr., 61, who lives around the corner from where the pair were found said he was sitting on his porch when he heard what sounded like two young men arguing. He said that when he turned to look, he heard one of them yell, "I want my [expletive]" before firing several times. Wertz ran to help the injured boy, who had apparently been shot in the face. When he got closer, he saw a bag of marijuana on the ground near the boy's pocket.

"He was face down, and he was moaning," Wertz said.

Wertz said that he did not see the other boy who was shot and that the shooter ran off before he arrived. Police said they would not confirm the details of Wertz's story because the investigation is continuing. They said they are searching for three suspects in a gray Honda that may have driven away after the shooting.

Family members and neighbors said Medina, a sophomore at Parkdale High School, was known for playing soccer and fixing up cars in the apartment complex where he lived with his sister and her husband. A native of Honduras, he had lived in the United States for about four years, said his brother-in-law, Jimmy Ramirez, 22.

Ramirez said he last law Medina earlier Wednesday night, and the boy had asked him for a cigarette. He said he is not sure why the teen wandered over to 56th Avenue with a friend.

Neighbors said they sometimes had to pester Medina about skipping school, and one man who was close with the teen said he had been beaten up a few months ago up by a group of boys who were trying to force him to join a gang. Still, Medina's slaying shocked those who lived around him.

"Only cowards would kill a 16-year-old innocent child," said Michele Hickson, 41, as she sobbed over the boy's death. "We [are] dying inside now."