Deandre Tyrique Keys, 23, of Lexington Park
On Monday, October 19, 2020 at approximately 5:42 p.m., police responded to a reported “gun fight” on Columbus Drive in Lexington Park,
Dispatchers further advised one of the shooters was fleeing the area in a white SUV. Officers arrived in the area in less than 2 minutes from dispatch and observed a white SUV fleeing the area on Pacific Drive.
Officers conducted a traffic stop and when the Officers exited their marked patrol vehicles, the white SUV fled onto Pegg Road and then onto Midway Drive, Officers gave chase and observed a black handgun thrown out of the driver side window into the roadway with the vehicle continuing down Midway Drive onto North Essex Drive when the vehicle turned onto Enterprise Road and stopped in front of a residence. The operator exited the vehicle and laid on the ground and was placed in custody.
The suspect was later identified as Deandre Tyrique Keys, 23, of Lexington Park. The vehicle was a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban bearing Virginia registration.
Police recovered a 9mm Glock 17 handgun with a 30 round magazine in the area on Midway Drive, the magazine had broken and thirteen 9mm rounds were recovered from the roadway. One witness made contact with Officers that stated he witnessed the pursuit and was outside with a clear line of sight to Midway Drive when he observed the white SUV travel at the high rate of speed past his residence, he yelled at the vehicle to slow down, and then heard something hit the ground and observed handgun in the street with bullets scattered on the ground, the witness stated the handgun was not in the roadway prior to the white SUV entering the area.
At the Columbus Drive crime scene where the shooting occurred, Officers located two fired 9mm casings.
Upon checking the Maryland Gun Center the handgun was not stolen and was not registered in maryland. Keys is also prohibited from owning firearms or ammunition federally as well as at the state level due to his prior convictions.
While police were conducting their investigations, Robert Leroy Thomas became disorderly and was arrested by Troopers from the Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack.
Police arrived in the area to find one vehicle struck at least three times by projectiles.
Keys remains incarcerated at the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center in Leonardtown on a no-bond status, and has been charged with the following.
- HANDGUN ON PERSON
- LOADED HANDGUN ON PERSON
- RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
- REG FIREARM:ILLEGAL POSSESSION
- ILLEGAL POSSESSION AMMO
- PERSON DRIVING MOTOR VEH. ON (HWY., PUBLIC USE PROPERTY) ON REVOKED LIC. AND PRIVILEGE
- DRIVING/ATTEMPTING DRIVE MOTOR VEH. ON HWY W/O REQ. LICENSE AND AUTHORIZATION
- ATTEMPT BY DRIVER TO ELUDE POLICE IN OFFICIAL POLICE VEHICLE BY FAILING TO STOP
- ATTEMPT BY DRIVER TO ELUDE UNIFORMED POLICE BY FAILING TO STOP
- FAILURE OF DRIVER TO (STOP, STAY) UPON APPROACH BY (EMERGENCY, POLICE) VEH. USING SIGNALS
- WILLFULLY DISOBEYING (LAWFUL ORDER, DIRECTION) OF A POLICE OFFICER
- FAIL TO DISPLAY LICENSE ON DEMAND
- FAIL TO DISPLAY REG. CARD ON DEMAND
- RECKLESS DRIVING
- NEGLIGENT DRIVING
- DRIVING VEH IN EXCESS OF REASONABLE AND PRUDENT SPEED ON HWY
Deandre Tyrique Keys, 23, of Lexington Park
