Authorities reported that a mother from Maryland was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend, who then turned the pistol on himself.
Officers were called to Tequia Nails’s Fairmount Heights, Maryland, house at approximately 11 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24, after discovering her 32-year-old wife had been shot. The Prince George’s County Police Department issued a news release. According to the announcement, she was declared deceased at the spot.
According to the statement, police claimed they received a call at roughly ten in the morning the following day stating that Quindell Mercer, 26, who they identified as Nails’ ex-boyfriend, had been discovered dead in Washington, D.C. Authorities described the probable murder-suicide as a “domestic-related” fatal shooting and stated that they think Mercer shot Nails before leaving the scene.
Nails was regarded as a “devoted mother” of four children—an eight-year-old son, a three-year-old daughter, and twins who were two months old—according to her obituary.
WJLA was informed by sources that Mercer was the father of her twins, one of whom she was allegedly holding at the time of her shooting. Moreover, Fox 5 DC revealed that Mercer was the twins’ father, citing family members in their investigation. Other than stating that the two kids “were in a previous relationship,” the police did not provide any details about their relationship. Whether or not there was another person present when the shooting happened was not mentioned in the release.
Family members said Fox 5 DC that Mercer opened fire after Nails asked him to leave many times and that she had previously claimed she didn’t want to be in a relationship with him.
A neighbor who chose to remain anonymous described the events leading up to the shooting to WJLA, calling it “traumatic.” “I wouldn’t imagine no child growing up like that — like it’s bad you wouldn’t want to see no child grow up like that for a person to be holding her newborn child.”
Nails’ family is also in shock by the loss.