Two Silver Spring Teens Charged in Taco Bell Cantina Shooting

Two Silver Spring teens are facing charges related to a shooting on June 23 that injured one person at the Taco Bell Cantina in downtown Silver Spring.

18-year-old Souleymane Traore is charged with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault, and 19-year-old Maximus Jean Jerome faces multiple counts of second-degree assault. Traore and Jerome were arrested on July 1, Montgomery County Police said in a press release issued Monday.

Officers from the 3rd District responded around 6 p.m. on June 23 to the Taco Bell Cantina at 8662 Colesville Rd. following reports of a shooting. Detectives found that three male victims were confronted inside the restaurant by Traore and Jerome, resulting in a physical altercation.

After leaving the restaurant, Traore returned and held the victims at gunpoint. When the brother of one of the victims arrived and tried to intervene, Traore put the gun to his head and fired, causing a graze wound. Traore and Jerome then fled the scene, and the shooting victim was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

Detectives identified Traore and Jerome as the suspects and obtained arrest warrants for them on June 27. The suspects were apprehended on July 1, and a search at Traore’s residence yielded evidence related to the incident.

Traore and Jerome are held without bond at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, MCPD said.

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