An 18-year-old woman incarcerated since December was charged Thursday in a killing in Severn last year in which the victim was found in the front seat of a car, Anne Arundel Police said.
Vanae Lewis, a Severn teenager currently being held without bail on drug trafficking and firearm charges, was charged with felony first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and firearm offenses in the homicide.
On Aug. 21, officers responded to the area of Pioneer Drive and Arwell Court in Severn for reports of an unknown disturbance. Callers told police a car had collided with a tree and an injured person was still inside. The callers also reported seeing multiple people flee the area on foot and believed someone may have been shot.
First responders found Naim Rashid Addison, 20, of Severn, shot in the head sitting in the driver’s seat of a tan 2008 Honda Civic, according to charging documents. He later was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
He was the ninth of 16 homicide victims last year in Anne Arundel County.
A passenger who survived the shooting told detectives Addison had gone to Arwell Court to complete a drug transaction. The passenger, who police have not divulged further information about, said Lewis had texted Addison before the shooting and gave him specific directions on where to meet.
When the Civic arrived in Arwell Court, someone came to the driver’s side window to pay for the marijuana, the passenger told police. Soon, two masked assailants approached the vehicle on the passenger side, one armed with a black and silver handgun, according to the passenger. When Addison discovered he was in danger, he put the car in drive and one of the assailants fired shots into the car, according to charging documents.
When Addison was shot, the car accelerated and crashed into an embankment, police said.
Detectives were given access to several video surveillance systems monitoring the area at the time of the shooting. Through them, police saw multiple suspects run away from the car after the gunshot. One of them, wearing distinctive Under Armour shoes, ran into a nearby house with a hand in their pocket.
After learning about Lewis from the passenger, police found a photo of shoes on her social media similar to the pair recorded by surveillance. Using a search warrant to get into her Instagram account, police said they also found “numerous messages” from people contacting Lewis hoping to buy marijuana.
On Dec. 16, a search warrant was served at Lewis’ home in Severn. Officers found nearly a pound of marijuana, a pair of Under Armour shoes and a black and silver handgun in the laundry room.
When asked by police about the weapon, a 40mm Smith & Wesson, Lewis said she found it in the area of Arwell Court but couldn’t remember when. She then admitted to being at the court at the time of the shooting but denied involvement. After the search warrant, she was charged with drug possession and firearm offenses and has since been held without bond.
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For that case, Lewis is scheduled for a status conference March 24 in Circuit Court.
In documents submitted Thursday requesting murder charges, detectives said the handgun in Lewis’ home was a ballistic match to the bullet and cartridge recovered from Arwell Court.
Police said they interviewed another witness besides the passenger in reference to the murder. The witness told police they were with Lewis around the time of the murder, saying they saw her conspire with other associates to rob Addison of his marijuana.
A preliminary hearing on Lewis’ felony murder charges is scheduled for March 29 in District Court.
On Tuesday, police confirmed the investigation into the killing of Addison remains open.