A murder-suicide involving a Charles County teacher and his neighbor might have been over a stolen car, sheriff’s deputies said.

Around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in White Plains, 24-year-old high school teacher Christopher Hoefert was stopped at a stop sign when Robert Becker pulled up beside him and shot him, then turned the gun on himself. Court records show Hoefert and Becker, 22, had been charged on Jan. 15 with auto theft. Both were scheduled to appear in court Friday. A sheriff’s office spokeswoman said there was a “strong possibility” Becker shot Hoefert because of the auto theft investigation.