Criminal Investigation Division
Homicide/Suicide - Hanover
26-729181
On September 11, 2026, at approximately 8:50 p.m., the Anne Arundel County Police Department received multiple reports of a shooting at the Morningside House of Friendship located in the 7500 block of Old Telegraph Road in Hanover. Western District officers arrived a short time after and located an adult female with gunshot wounds. Witnesses reported the suspect had fled south on foot into a large, wooded area. Officers provided emergency medical aid to the victim while others established a perimeter around the wooded area south of the Morningside House of Friendship. The Anne Arundel County Fire Department arrived and took over care of the victim. Due to the severity of her injuries, she was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The Special Operations Division Quick Response Team and Canine Teams were requested to assist in the search. With support from the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department and the Maryland Natural Resources Police, the perimeter was extended, and ground and air units began a search of the woodland for the suspect. However, after several hours without making contact, the search was temporarily concluded. Throughout the night, Western District patrol units were stationed in the vicinity of the Morningside House of Friendship and the surrounding wooded area.
Based on evidence collected overnight by Homicide Unit investigators, the Quick Response Team was called in for a secondary daylight search of the initial area and additional wooded locations near the crime scene. During this search, Quick Response Team members located the suspect, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim, Asia Natee Virginia Thomas, a 27-year-old female from Baltimore, had just finished her shift at the Morningside House of Friendship and was sitting outside the building with the suspect, Deontae Tranell Bryant, a 25-year-old male from Aberdeen, Maryland. An altercation ensued, during which the suspect shot the victim before fleeing the scene. Preliminary information indicates the victim and suspect were known to each other. The investigation remains ongoing.
Detectives with the Anne Arundel County Police Homicide Unit are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to contact 410-222-4731. Individuals wishing to remain anonymous are encouraged to call the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at 410-222-4700.