A 32-year-old Eldersburg man was fatally shot in his home yesterday by a housemate who then ran several blocks away before killing himself, state police said.
Kenneth Lee Sims and Jeff Lott, 20, both of 6511 Marvin Ave., were arguing in an upstairs bedroom shortly after 3 p.m. when Mr. Lott apparently grabbed a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol and fired twice, state police spokesman Michael McKelvin said.
At least one bullet hit Mr. Sims, who lay on the floor when Mr. Lott took the gun and ran out of the house, Mr. McKelvin said.
Mr. Sims was Carroll County's first homicide victim since August, when a Hampstead woman was stabbed to death in her kitchen. The August slaying was the county's only murder in 1994.
Mr. Lott, who recently had moved in with his friend, ran through several back yards before knocking on a door at a house in the 6500 block of Kali Drive, where he demanded the use of a car, police said. Although he displayed the gun to the woman who answered the door, she slammed the door shut and called police, Mr. McKelvin said.
State police were on their way to the south Carroll neighborhood of older brick bungalows and newer homes when Mr. Lott shot himself while standing outside a garage in the 1800 block of Falstaff Court. He died shortly after police arrived.
Mr. Sims was able to tell state police about the shooting and give a description of his assailant, Mr. McKelvin said. His dying declaration was, "Jeff Lott shot me."
According to police and neighbors, Mr. Lott recently had moved into the home shared by Mr. Sims and his parents. Before joining the Sims family, Mr. Lott lived in the 600 block of Lynn Ave., less than a mile away.
Police said that although Mr. Sims' mother, who was not identified, was at home at the time, she did not witness the shooting of her son.
Family members who huddled in the front yard declined to comment.
It was unclear yesterday what sparked the argument. The two usually good-natured friends had been finishing a nearby house-painting job just hours before the shootings, according to a co-worker who declined to give his name.
"They were good, hard-working people," the man said moments after driving up to the house where Mr. Sims was killed. "Jeff was a kind of a quiet guy, and Ken was always friendly and talking."
"This is a real shock, a real shock," said Kathy Horneman, president of the South Carroll Coalition and a resident of a nearby neighborhood. "I guess domestic issues can happen in any neighborhood."