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HAGERSTOWN, MD News (10/23/2024) – Hagerstown police are investigating a shooting incident that took place on October 22, 2024, at approximately 11:15 a.m. Officers responded to a report of shots fired at the 7 Star Mini Mart on 200 W. Franklin Street. Upon arrival, officers found two women who reported they had been struck by a vehicle in the store’s parking lot.
This story was updated 10/23/2024 to include additional information provided by Hagerstown Police Department.
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The investigation revealed that a Toyota Camry entered the lot and hit the two women. A male companion of the women responded by firing a shot at the driver of the Camry, who then fled the scene. The shooter also fled the area on foot. During the altercation, a bystander’s vehicle, unrelated to the incident, was struck by gunfire.
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Police reviewed city surveillance footage to track the shooter’s movements and were able to identify him. Later, the suspect was located in a vehicle, which was stopped by officers in the 100 block of N. Potomac Street. The suspect was arrested without incident at approximately 2:00 p.m.
The shooting suspect in this case is identified as 20-year-old John Michael Matthews-Hackett, of Hagerstown. During the course of the investigation, it was learned that Matthews-Hackett was only next to the women by happenstance and they were unknown to each other. The women had been in an altercation with the driver of the Toyota moments before. The driver then struck the women with the bumper of his vehicle before fleeing. Matthews-Hackett who was standing near where the women were struck, produced a handgun, firing a round. Neither women required medical attention. This is still an ongoing investigation as it relates to the driver of the striking vehicle.
Matthews-Hackett has been charged with:
1st & 2nd degree attempted murder
1st & 2nd degree assault
Reckless endangerment
Numerous handgun violations
Story by multiple RFHC contributors
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