Howard County police arrested a Baltimore man yesterday and charged him in the fatal shooting of his stepfather, a 56-year-old Marriottsville man who was a math teacher at Milford Mill Academy.

Gordon Norman Overby, 25, of the 900 block of Cooks Lane is accused of shooting his step- father, Rodry Donald Webb, on Wednesday in Webb's home in the 1300 block of Driver Road, police said.

Overby was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, two counts of assault and use of a handgun while committing a felony.

He was held at Southern District lockup in Scaggsville pending a bail hearing scheduled for this morning, police said.

Police said Overby had a history of mental problems. Police added that they found no sign that Overby had broken into the house.

In charging documents, police said they had learned that Overby had been having conflicts with his stepfather. Overby told police he owned two guns when they visited his home, they said.

Police obtained a search warrant and when they went through Overby's home, they found bloody shoes and a handgun, a police spokeswoman said. Spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn declined to say what type of gun it was.

Webb was discovered by his wife, Pattie, about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday in the couple's kitchen, according to police.

She thought he had suffered a heart attack and called for medical personnel, who later determined that Webb had been fatally shot, police said.

Police said in charging documents that they were called to the house, where they observed Webb's body lying in blood on the kitchen floor. Webb had what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his left temple, according to the documents.

Police also saw bloody shoe prints on the kitchen floor and dining room floor, the charging documents said. The pattern of the shoe prints matched the bloody shoes in Overby's home, the documents said.

Police said yesterday that they were unsure when Webb was shot but school officials said he had gone to work Wednesday.

Neighbors said that they heard loud sounds resembling gunfire during the day. Since Webb's neighborhood is largely rural, it is not unusual to hear hunters, neighbors said.

Family described Webb as a dedicated family man who relished having cookouts during the summer. He would begin preparing several days in advance, family and friends said, by washing off lawn furniture and stringing up volleyball nets.

Some of Webb's family lived next door, and the cookouts would often last all day.

"He loved seeing everyone together," said Craig Norris, Webb's nephew.

Webb would often record the events with his video camera, Norris said.

"He liked kids and family and he loved recording what everyone was doing," said Norris.

Webb's family did not return phone calls or answer the door after Overby had been arrested.

Neighbors described Overby, who attended Mount Hebron High School, as polite and quiet. They said he had moved out of the house shortly after graduating from high school.

"He didn't seem like the type of person to do something like this," said Cara Gasper, who has lived next door to the Webbs for almost a decade.

Others said that Webb would check in on sick neighbors, often bringing food and offering to help.

When Nicole Gasper used her tractor to plow Webb's driveway several weeks ago during a snowstorm, Webb came out with a cup of tea for her.

"He was always doing stuff like that and always had a smile on his face," she said.

Webb had taught at Milford Mill, a public high school off Liberty Heights Avenue in Baltimore County, for four years and had a passion for teaching math, according to Principal Norman Smith.

"He loved it because he thought it was one of the easiest ways to reach kids. ... He was very creative," Smith said.

Smith said Webb would organize after-school tutorial groups and would encourage students to teach each other.

"The students said there was no one like him," said Smith, who taught one of Webb's classes yesterday.

School officials said that letters were sent home with students yesterday and that grief counselors would be made available to students.

Smith said that Webb's courses would be taught by substitute teachers until a replacement could be found.