News Releases

Detectives Investigate Triple Homicide in Brookeville; Suspect Deceased

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 8, 2018

On Monday, May 7, at approximately 3:44 p.m., the Emergency Communications Center (911) received multiple calls for a possible domestic situation involving a person with a gun in the 22000 block of Brown Farm Way in Brookeville.  Each caller had various pieces of information and 911 call takers worked to gather as many details as possible.  During some of the 911 calls, call takers heard what sounded like gunshots in the background.

Officers responded to 22002 Brown Farm Way and located three adults deceased at the home.  All three victims had been shot.  The victims are being identified as:

- Mary Ann Olson, age 66, of the residence located at 22002 Brown Farm Way.

- Danny Lee Murphy, age 70, of East Spearfish Drive in Brandon, South Dakota.  He was visiting the residents of 22002 Brown Farm Way.

- Craig Harold Shotwell, age 54, of Wards Chapel Road in Owings Mills, Maryland.  He was performing work at the residence located at 22002 Brown Farm Way.

Officers secured the home and determined that the suspect had fled.

Officers learned that three other adults who had also been home at the time of the shooting had escaped from the home unharmed.  One of those adults was the suspect's wife.  The suspect was identified as Christopher Wilson Snyder, age 41, of 22001 Brown Farm Way.  Officers believed that after Snyder shot the victims, he fled to his home.

Additional officers, to include tactical units and negotiators, responded to the scene.  Officers confirmed that Snyder was in his home and set up a perimeter around the area.  Negotiators began talking to Snyder via telephone in an attempt to get him to surrender.  The negotiations lasted several hours.

At approximately 11:00 p.m., tactical officers forced entry into Snyder's residence via the front door.  Snyder, who was talking to a negotiator on the phone, asked if the police had just broke in the front door and then hung up the phone.  Tactical officers then heard a single gunshot.

Snyder was located deceased inside of his home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Major Crimes detectives continue to investigate these homicides.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is assisting the Department with the investigation.  While the motive of these shootings is still under investigation, Snyder's wife stated to investigators that she had been held in the home against her will by her husband Snyder during the weekend and found the opportunity to escape to her neighbor's home located at 22002 Brown Farm Way.  Investigators believe this caused Snyder to go to that neighbor's home where he shot and killed the three victims.

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Release ID: 18-190
Media Contact: mcpnews 
Categories: homicide