Man arrested in connection with July 4 shooting

TANEYTOWN, Maryland – The Carroll County Sheriff’s Department arrested a man Saturday in connection with a Fourth of July motorist aggression shooting that left one person dead in Taneytown.

Authorities have arrested 20-year-old Davon Joseph Dabbs in connection with the death of 36-year-old Christopher Moore and the attack on his fiancée.

According to the sheriff’s office, Dabbs was charged with first-degree murder and multiple counts of assault.

The first incident occurred shortly after 10 p.m. on Thursday when police were called to the area of ​​Bear Run Road and Runnymede Road for a report of an incident of aggression between two vehicles in which shots were fired.

According to police, it all started with a traffic incident between two vehicles, a pickup truck and a sedan, on Route 140.

According to their report, the two vehicles drove one behind the other before stopping, at which point several people got out of their cars and began fighting.

FIRST STORY: One dead and three injured in shooting in Carroll County on July 4

As investigators later learned, Dabbs and his 26-year-old male passenger left one vehicle, Moore the second. The three then got into a verbal argument that escalated into physical violence.

Moore’s fiancée, a 33-year-old woman, arrived on the scene during the altercation and claimed that she witnessed the assault on Moore and exited her vehicle with the handgun, which she legally owned and carried.

Moore’s fiancé later told investigators she announced she had a gun in hopes it would deescalate the attack. Instead, Dabbs reportedly lunged at her and a physical assault ensued over possession of the gun, during which Dabbs was shot in the left leg.

At some point, police alleged, Dabbs managed to get the gun into his possession and attacked her with several punches to the face. Dabbs then allegedly fired several shots, one of which struck his passenger in the hand and two of which struck Moore in the chest.

Authorities said Moore’s fiancée suffered a broken jaw and injuries to her head and face. She was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment. Dabbs and his passenger were taken to a regional hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Moore was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. None of the other occupants of the vehicles were injured.

On July 6, 2024, Dabbs was arrested without incident at a residence in Taneytown.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about this incident to contact Detective Ehrhart at 410-386-2599 or [email protected].