Police have found the missing car of a District middle school teacher who was discovered shot to death at his Silver Spring home last week, a Montgomery County police spokesman said Saturday.
The car was found at an address in southeast D.C., said Captain Paul Starks. Police planned to remove the car from the location and take it as evidence, he said.
Brian Betts, principal of Shaw Middle School, was found dead in his home last week. Police had been searching for the car, a dark blue 2007 Nissan Xterra with Maryland license plate 562M222.
A co-worker of Betts, 42, went to his home Thursday evening after he didn’t report to work, police said. The co-worker entered the home, observed a light on, left, and then called the police.
Betts was suffering from at least one gunshot wound, police said. The medical examiner in Baltimore determined the death to be a homicide.
Betts had been brought in as Shaw’s principal during the 2008-2009 school year to turn around the struggling school.
“The unexpected death of Brian Betts is unspeakably tragic for his family, for the Shaw Middle School community, and for all of DC Public Schools,” D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee said in a statement. “Brian Betts had the courage to take on the leadership of a struggling, underachieving DCPS school. DCPS extends its deepest sympathies to Brian’s family, and to the family he has built at Shaw.”
Shaw Middle School at Garnet-Patterson is located at 2001 10th Street, NW, near the African American Civil War Memorial and the U Street Metrorail station.
Anyone with information pertaining to the death is asked to call Homicide detectives at 240-773-5070. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
