MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — This week, authorities arrested three teenagers linked to a series of shootings that took place in Montgomery County from March 2024 to August 2025, as reported by local police.
Montgomery County detectives have charged the following individuals for their involvement in the shootings, including incidents in the Damascus Gardens area of Germantown:
- Samuel Wisdom, 18, from Germantown
- Ai’Jai Tyrell Smith-Nelson, 17, from Germantown
- Jaden Ochieng, 17, from Clarksburg
On August 18, shortly after 2:40 a.m., officers responded to a shooting report on the 18800 block of Bent Willow Circle in Germantown. The caller informed police that they heard a gunshot followed by a woman screaming.
Approximately an hour later, officers were dispatched to the 20800 block of Gaelic Court for another shooting incident involving an SUV that had been hit by gunfire. Fortunately, three women inside the vehicle were unharmed, according to police reports.
Following a thorough investigation, detectives identified Wisdom as the main suspect in the attempted murder of the three victims. He faces charges including three counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and several firearms-related offenses.
Investigators later discovered that Wisdom, Smith-Nelson, and Ochieng were also implicated in a shooting that occurred a few days later in the Damascus Gardens neighborhood.
On August 21, around 6:50 p.m., officers responded to multiple reports of gunfire on the 9800 block of Bethesda Church Road in Damascus.
Upon arrival, officers found shell casings, property damage, and a shooting victim nearby in the Brigadier Place neighborhood. The victim was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.
Detectives later confirmed that Wisdom, Smith-Nelson, and Ochieng were present in the area during the shooting and were seen together at a Germantown 7-Eleven located on the 19400 block of Walter Johnson Drive.
When officers approached, Ochieng fled the store but was quickly captured. Authorities reported that he was carrying a loaded black handgun, which was later linked to the shooting on Bethesda Church Road.
Smith-Nelson was arrested inside the 7-Eleven, where officers found a semiautomatic handgun on him, also connected to the Bethesda Church Road incident. Both suspects were taken into custody without any resistance.
Ochieng has a prior history of involvement in two separate shootings. On March 24, 2024, he allegedly attempted to shoot a student disembarking from a school bus near Neelsville Middle School on Archdale Road in Germantown.
On August 8, 2024, he reportedly fired at an individual sitting on a park bench on Crystal Rock Drive.
In both cases, police noted that Ochieng used stolen vehicles to flee the scenes. During an attempt to arrest him at Northwest High School, he was found with a loaded firearm, which was linked to the earlier shootings on Archdale Road and Crystal Rock Drive, as well as another incident in the area.
Wisdom and Smith-Nelson are currently held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, while Ochieng is in custody in a different jurisdiction.
These investigations are ongoing. Anyone with information regarding these suspects or the related crimes is encouraged to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477.
Tips that lead to an arrest may qualify for a reward ranging from $250 to $10,000, and anonymity is guaranteed.
