Four Prince George’s County teens have been charged with beating a man to death over a pack of cigarettes and a shoe, police said in court documents Monday.
Police say the vicious, seemingly unprovoked attack started around 7:30 p.m. May 28 soon after Aboubacar Camara, 56, of Hyattsville, was spotted by the teens as he was climbing the stairs that lead from a playground to the back of Bladensburg Elementary School.
The four positioned themselves ahead of Camara and “laid in wait for him” at the top of the steps, police wrote. As he reached the pinnacle, Calaisha Vaughn, 14, asked Camara whether he had a cigarette. When Camara said he didn’t smoke, Regina Young-Bey, 15, bumped him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground.
Once down, Camara never got back up.
Police say Young-Bey immediately began kicking Camara and was quickly joined by Justin McBride, 15, and Marcus Williams, 14, in the brutal pounding of the middle-aged man.
Taking a break from their kicking, McBride stole Camara’s pack of Marlboro cigarettes and Williams took his shoe, but not before all four took turns spitting on him, police said.
With Camara “continuously coughing up blood,” police said the four resumed their relentless beating, kicking his head and torso.
As witnesses came to Camara’s aid, the four teens continued to stand over him, but then fled as police and an ambulance arrived. Camara survived in the hospital for two days, but died from his injuries May 30.
All four teens are being held without bail and have been charged as adults with first- and second- degree murder, which means police believe the attack was premeditated.
McBride and Young-Bey were found by investigators near the scene, were brought in for questioning and signed written confessions, police said. Williams later joined them in confessing to the crime.
