Two men have been arrested on charges related to two separate shootings in Baltimore, Maryland that killed Justin Johnson and left Keona Holley, a police officer, in critical condition after being ambushed and shot in her car, police said Friday.
Holley was on duty in a patrol car around 1:30 a.m. Thursday in southern Baltimore when Elliot Knox, 31, and Travon Shaw, 32, allegedly shot her and fled. She was taken to the University of Maryland Medical Center's Shock Trauma Center and was in critical, but stable condition as of Friday afternoon, Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said at a Friday news conference.
Harrison said the two men were arrested on charges of attempted murder and murder for the two incidents and were arrested thanks to quick work from investigators, and tips from the community.
The two men allegedly fled the scene, and around 3 a.m. are accused of shooting and killing Johnson about 10 miles away from the site of the first shooting.
Police said two guns were recovered in the investigation, and at least one was used in both shootings.
Surveillance footage and license plate readers were used to locate the car the two men were driving, and they were arrested shortly after, Harrison said. He also said the motives for both shootings are not yet clear.
"We have absolute confessions that they did it, they were there," he said. "We don't have motive as to why."
Knox and Shaw allegedly knew Johnson, but police are unsure what the shooting was related to or if Johnson knew either of the two men.
He also said police don't think the two men would have ambushed a random officer with no motive, and are looking into the possibility that Holley and the men had interacted with her before.
It wasn't clear if either man has an attorney, and the case wasn't immediately listed in online court records.
"This week's heinous incidents were another tragic reminder of the culture of violence that pervades Baltimore," Harrison said. "Those who commit these violent, brazen and cowardly acts will be held to account."
Harrison credited good detective work and technology for the quick arrests and expressed gratitude for the $118,000 in rewards offered by local, state and federal partners — and numerous tips from community members.
"Those tips aided us in putting pieces together, like putting together pieces of the puzzle," Harrison said.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott asked people to pray for the victim's families and hoped the arrest would bring them some peace.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
