Suspect ‘laid in wait’ before shooting, killing man inside MGM National Harbor

A suspect has been arrested for shooting a man to death inside the food court at MGM National Harbor on Wednesday, police say.

Darnell Hawkins Jr., 23, died after 22-year-old Benjamin Williams, “viciously murdered” him, Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said during a Thursday news conference.

“Today we mourn the death of a young 23-year-old who had his full life ahead of him,” Braveboy said.

Williams “laid in wait” outside the MGM before going inside and shooting Hawkins multiple times, Prince George’s County Police Chief George Nader said. He then drove off in a car, according to Nader.

Extensive surviellance video at MGM captured all of it, and helped police quickly identify Williams as the suspect, Nader said. The hotel and casino in Oxon Hill, Maryland, has numerous security cameras.

Officers arrested Williams about 2 a.m. Thursday at a home in College Park, Maryland, Nader said.

Hawkins was ordering food at the time of the shooting. There was no scuffle or interaction between the two before the suspect opened fire, Nader said. The motive for the shooting is still unclear, he said.

Williams, of Fort Washington, was charged with first- and second-degree murder and gun-related charges. He is in jail without bond.

One man is dead after a shooting inside the food court at MGM National Harbor Wednesday before noon, police say.

“We have not had crimes like this at the National Harbor and crime in MGM and National Harbor is down approximately 32% for violent crime this year. So it’s rare that incidents like this occur,” Nader said.

Some schools in the area were briefly put on lockdown Wednesday as a precaution.

Authorities have reiterated the area is safe. The food court was back open on Thursday.

“This was a targeted attack and there is no general safety issues at MGM,” Braveboy said.

“MGM is safe. The harbor is safe,” Nader said Wednesday. “This was a targeted incident. We believe it would have folded out anywhere once these two individuals came into the same area.”

When asked about security concerns, Nader said during Thursday’s news conference that MGM is secure, likening it to other large business and public spaces.

“You don’t get checked for weapons when you go into a shopping mall,” he said. He clarified that security does do weapons checks in the casino portion of MGM.

One woman told News4 Wednesday she was upset to find out about the shooting when she went to MGM in the afternoon to get lunch.

“I can’t believe it. Where’s the security? Where is the security? This is supposed to be a secure place with all the people coming in here with the amounts of money that I’m sure that they have on them, they need to have better security and that’s all I can say,” she said.