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, the woman 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 describe his assailant -- before he died, 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."
The shootings came as students at nearby Carrolltowne Elementary School were being dismissed from classes. School buses for the neighborhood were diverted and school officials told students to go straight home and remain there until police left the area. Several older children could be seen peeking through shrubbery and standing in back yards while police investigated the shootings.
"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."
Ruth Nowak, who lives in the 1800 block of Fallstaff Court, was looking out her kitchen window when she saw a man standing across the street. "He was just standing there, staring toward the east," she said. She did not see a weapon.
She turned away and was getting ready to pick up her son from the bus stop when she noticed a fire engine and police cars blocking the street.
"I'm glad they had the body covered when we came back up. It's not something you want your child to see," Mrs. Nowak said.
Both Mr. Lott and Mr. Sims were alive when police arrived, but emergency helicopters and paramedics were of little use. Mr. Sims died in an ambulance outside his home, and Mr. Lott died where he was shot.
The bodies of both men were taken to the state medical examiner's office in Baltimore for autopsies.