A Christmas Eve card game ended in tragedy when a 20-year-old man opened fire on a group of acquaintances in a West Baltimore rowhouse, killing one and injuring four before fatally shooting himself, police said.
By the time the shooting was over after midnight yesterday, a young woman had collapsed with a fatal gunshot wound on a lawn around the corner from the gathering in the 3000 block of Wolcott Ave. Baltimore
Police identified her as Dana Lewis, 20.
Detectives identified the gunman as Chad Spencer, 20. They did not know his address. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting. Four men described as acquaintances were injured seriously.
City homicide detectives said yesterday they had no explanation for the shooting, which apparently started during a card game without provocation or warning.
"We're really not sure why," said Detective Chris P. Graul. "For some unknown reason, he pulls back and opens fire with a 9 mm. Anything that was moving, he fired at."
The shooting took place on the first floor of a two-story brick rowhouse, where the front door was covered with green "Merry Christmas" wrapping paper yesterday.
Two of the wounded men -- Hakim Zubar, 20, and William Freeman, 23 -- apparently lived at the house, Detective Graul said. Mr. Zubar is in serious condition at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, and Mr. Freeman is in serious condition at the intensive care unit at Sinai Hospital, hospital officials said.
Also wounded were Carroll Dorsey, 19, and Rodney Jones, 20. Mr. Dorsey is in fair condition at Sinai Hospital and Mr. Jones is in critical condition at the Shock Trauma Center, hospital officials said.
Detective Graul said Mr. Jones was shot in the head.
Only one person at the gathering, Dalante Branch, was not injured, Detective Graul said.
Mr. Branch could not be reached for comment yesterday, but his grandmother said he was saved by a belt buckle that apparently deflected a bullet.
Almeta Branch, who lives down the street from the rowhouse where the shooting happened, said her grandson had gone to school with several people at the gathering.
"They were all just socializing," Ms. Branch said. Dalante "said the boy just jumped up from the table and started shooting. He said he told him to put the gun down. He said a girl was standing beside him, and he was trying to tell her not to move. But the girl got hit and she ran out down the street."
When her grandson came over to her house after the shooting, Ms. Branch said, he had holes in his coat where bullets apparently had passed through. "He noticed his belt was dented," she said. "That's what saved him."
Ms. Branch said she did not know Mr. Spencer or have any idea what might have led to the shooting.
Police said Mr. Branch told them Mr. Spencer shot himself after spraying the gunfire around the room, apparently without saying anything. The state medical examiner's office listed the manner of Mr. Spencer's death as pending last night.
In addition to the West Baltimore shooting, two women were found shot to death, one in Baltimore and one in the Woodlawn section of Baltimore County. Police had no suspects or motive in either slaying, and had not identified the bodies last night.
The body of Laquitta Chevelle Howard, 23, was found about 12:30 a.m. yesterday in Woodlawn. She was shot several times. The body of an unidentified woman in her 20s was found at about 11:45 p.m. Saturday behind an apartment building in the 200 block of Robert St. in Baltimore. She had been shot in the head, detectives said.