Montgomery Village man, 20, dies after early-morning shooting
Police say he was visiting friend on Welbeck Terrace when firearm discharged'
A Montgomery Village man was found shot to death early Tuesday morning and police are investigating whether he committed suicide or someone else pulled the trigger.
A woman called the county Emergency Communications Center shortly after 2 a.m. to report that her friend had shot himself, said Lt. Paul Starks, a Montgomery County Police spokesman. Police and Fire Rescue Services found Emmanuel Anthony Francis, 20, in the bedroom of a friend's house in the 20100 block of Welbeck Terrace in Montgomery Village with an apparent gunshot wound, according to a police statement. He was pronounced dead at the house despite life-saving efforts, police said.
His family could not be reached for comment.
A male acquaintance was in the room with Francis, who lived in another house in the same block, when the gun was fired, Starks said. It is unclear how many other people were in the house at the time, he said, and there were no obvious signs of a struggle in the bedroom. Starks did not know what kind of gun was involved.
The Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore will conduct an autopsy, police said. The incident is under investigation.
Francis pleaded guilty to theft under $100 in Montgomery County District Court in Rockville in July 2007 and given a 90-day suspended jail sentence, according to an online state court records database. He was charged with driving or attempting to drive on a highway without a license and authorization on March 27 and was due to appear in court next month, according to the database. He was also charged with marijuana possession and possession with the intent to distribute in Prince George's County on March 13 and was due to go on trial in December, according to the database.