Suspect in Maryland trampoline park shooting killed ex-wife’s boyfriend, police say

By LEA SKENE
Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) — The suspect in a deadly weekend shooting at an indoor trampoline park in Maryland was visiting his daughter there when he shot his ex-wife’s boyfriend and fled, according to court documents.

Quinton Walker, 30, turned himself in to authorities less than two hours after the shooting, which unfolded around 7 p.m. Saturday at the Sky Zone in Timonium, a suburb north of Baltimore. The victim, 32-year-old Marcus Whitehead, died after being rushed to the hospital.

In the moments after gunshots sounded, panic engulfed the busy facility, which is often packed with children and families. No other injuries were reported and authorities repeatedly told the public it was an isolated incident that posed no ongoing safety threat.

Walker called 911 to turn himself in after initially fleeing the scene, according to charging documents prepared by Baltimore County police. He made the call from an adjacent county and told dispatchers he was driving a U-Haul, police said.

Shortly before 8:30 p.m., officers located the U-Haul and pulled Walker over. They spotted a Glock handgun inside the vehicle, according to the documents.

During an interview with detectives, Walker said he had traveled from Colorado to see his daughter. He said he made plans to meet her and her mother at Sky Zone on Saturday evening, according to police.

Shortly after he arrived and greeted his daughter, Walker noticed his ex-wife’s boyfriend staring at him, he told police. Walker said he asked Whitehead “if he wanted to talk outside and he responded not to come near him,” the charging documents say.

Walker said Whitehead stood up, walked toward him and threatened to slap him, so Walker “drew his firearm and fired all rounds that he had loaded into the gun,” according to the documents. Walker said he was planning to return his U-Haul before turning himself in.

A witness interviewed by police said the two men exchanged very brief words before Walker pulled a gun from his waistband and started shooting, the documents say.

He was charged with one count of first-degree murder, which requires prosecutors to prove premeditation.

Walker is being held without bail in Baltimore County jail. His attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Court records list a home address in suburban Denver.

The trampoline park, which advertises kids’ birthday parties and other events, has remained closed since the shooting but plans to reopen Thursday afternoon, according to its website.

“This incident of gun violence is shocking, horrifying, and simply has no place in our community,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said in a statement Saturday night. “We are thankful that no children were injured in this shameful act of cowardice.”