Husband sought in shooting of woman

The Baltimore Sun

Grieving family members and neighbors of a Southwest Baltimore woman who police say was shot to death by her husband -- a veteran correctional officer -- remained shocked yesterday evening, questioning how her four sons will survive without her.

"She was a nice person," said a man who identified himself as one of her sons but would not give his name. "She was such a wonderful person."

Police said Cynthia Webb, 42, was shot several times during a dispute with her husband. An arrest warrant was issued for the husband, Donald Webb Jr., 48, who had not been apprehended late yesterday. Webb also shot and wounded his 13-year-old stepson during the incident late Friday night, police said.

Cynthia Webb's death brought the number of homicides in Baltimore this year to 181.

Donald Webb, a 17-year veteran with the Baltimore City Correctional Center, is a shift supervisor, overseeing three levels of correctional officers, said Maj. Priscilla Doggett, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Division of Correction.

She said Webb has a good work record.

"Lieutenant Webb's co-workers and administrators were devastated to hear that he could be involved in such a tragic situation," Doggett said. "We have ordered grief counselors to help his colleagues through this. The people who worked with him said there was no sign of any trouble."

The shooting occurred about 11 p.m. Friday after a heated argument in the upstairs bedroom of the couple's home in the 900 block of W. Lombard St., police spokesman Troy Harris said.

After the shooting, Webb rushed downstairs, shot his stepson several times and fled in his blue 2006 Chevrolet pickup with Maryland license plate 24R856, police said.

The stepson was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was being treated yesterday. Police arrived at the scene about 11:20 p.m. and found Cynthia Webb's body upstairs. She was pronounced dead at the scene, Harris said.

Yesterday, a neighbor, who declined to give his name, said the gunshots sounded like firecrackers. He said he couldn't believe what had happened. The couple seemed to get along fine, he said.

"She was friendly, neighborly, good with her kids," he said. "I couldn't see any sign of trouble over there."

The man said he felt sympathy for Webb's four sons, the youngest of whom he presumed was the 13-year-old who was wounded.

About 8 p.m. last night, the man who identified himself as the dead woman's son stood on the steps of the house where the shootings occurred. He spoke on his cell phone to people who seemed to be offering condolences; at other times, he was silent.

He told a reporter that he had just been to see his brother in the hospital and was relieved that he seemed to be doing well. Information about Webb's other children was not available.

Earlier in the day, members of Cynthia Webb's family -- her brother and several cousins and friends -- sat on the home's front steps or waited across the street, covering their heads with towels and T-shirts to stay cool. They said they were waiting for a sign of Donald Webb or police -- anyone who could offer more information about what happened.

Passers-by, who said they had heard about the shooting on television, stopped to hug family members.

Members of Cynthia Webb's family said they were angry and distraught. They said they don't know what happened and asked a reporter if she knew what had happened and where Donald Webb was.

The Webbs rented the rowhouse in which they lived.

Their landlord, Robert Ferguson of Ellicott City, said he met Cynthia Webb more than eight years ago when she began renting the place from him.

"She was a very nice lady," Ferguson said. He said she worked at a church day care center, caring for developmentally disabled children.

ruma.kumar@baltsun.com

bradley.olson@baltsun.com

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