News Releases

Two Charged in Shooting Death of 18-Year-Old in Gaithersburg

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Gaithersburg, MD - Two suspects are in custody in connection with the January 2 shooting death of an 18-year-old in Gaithersburg.

16-year-old Wisdom Da-Silva Baptista, of Gaithersburg, and 20-year-old Kevin Jesus Perez Fierro, of Montgomery Village, have been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery in the death of Taeyon Malachi Prather.

On Friday, January 2, 2026, at approximately 7:21 p.m., Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to the 23600 block of Rolling Fork Way for a report of a person down in a parking lot. Prather was found at the location and pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation by Montgomery County Department of Police Major Crimes detectives determined that Prather had gone to the location to sell a jacket. At some point during the transaction, Prather was shot. Investigators determined that the jacket and other personal items were taken following the shooting.

On January 5, 2026, Crime Solvers of Montgomery County received a tip that led investigators to Da-Silva Baptista. Through continued investigation, detectives also connected Perez Fierro to Prather’s death.

On January 11, 2026, arrest warrants were obtained for both suspects. On January 12, 2026, Perez Fierro was taken into custody at his home in Montgomery Village, and Da-Silva Baptista was arrested at his home in Gaithersburg.

Both suspects are being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit while they await bond hearings.

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Release ID: 26-011
Media Contact: S.D. Goff 
Categories: arrest , homicide , robbery