Parents and friends of students at Running Brook Elementary School were sent a letter informing them of another homicide near their school Tuesday ? the second within a month?s time.
“Trae Allen, 19, of the 5200 block of Brook Way [in Berkshire Estates ? formerly Hannibal Grove], was found dead [Monday evening] in a nearby apartment,” wrote John Hannay, the school?s PTA president.
Police found Allen at about 5:30 p.m. after receiving a call from the Baltimore City dispatch center about a possible injured person there, said Officer Jennifer Reidy, Howard County spokeswoman.
Allen lived with his mother and two siblings in a town house off Columbia Road, friends said.
His body was found not far from the 7-Eleven convenience store on the 5700 block of Columbia Road where store clerk Alevtina Zhilina, 40, was fatally shot in April. Allen?s death is the third homicide in Howard this year.
Cordell Johnson, a friend of Allen?s who moved out the Running Brook neighborhood with his family about a year ago, said Allen was acquainted with two brothers who live in the town house where police found his body.
Johnson said Allen and the brothers “used to be the best of friends.”
Friends of Allen?s family, who stood outside his town house Tuesday, said his mother did not wish to speak about the incident.
On Tuesday afternoon, the back porch of the town house bore the marks of Allen?s death. Behind the skeleton of a weight bench, streaks of blood were visible on the white vertical blinds of the basement door.
Police believe some neighbors may have heard or seen something related to the incident, but did not contact police to report the suspicious activity, Reidy said.
Sherry Llewellyn, a Howard police spokeswoman, declined to comment on whether police had contacted the residents of the town house where Allen?s body was found.
Police said they have leads but no suspects.
“We won?t release any information on suspects until they?re charged,” Llewellyn said.
The state medical examiner was expected to perform an autopsy on Allen?s body Tuesday, she said.
As for the parents and friends of Running Brook Elementary students, Hannay wrote that the PTA is working with the Wilde Lake Village Board, Councilwoman Mary Kay Sigaty, D-District 4, and police to hold a community meeting this week. The time and date have not been determined.
Therese Umerlik contributed to this story.
