Police pursue young suspect in Saturday killing of Homewood Center student at Columbia mall

Investigators were still seeking a suspect Monday in connection with the fatal shooting at The Mall in Columbia that killed a 17-year-old over the weekend.

Howard County Police are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads them to the suspect in the Saturday evening shooting that caused the mall’s evacuation after gunfire rang out in the food court.

Police said Monday that the suspect was believed to be a young male in his teens or 20s. The suspect being sought by authorities had his face partially covered and was wearing dark clothing, including a hooded sweatshirt, a police spokesperson said Monday.

Police believe that the suspect targeted Angelo Little, the Columbia teen who was found dead at the scene.

Little was described as caring toward the people he loved and willing to take on any challenge. He was energetic and funny, always successful at making others laugh even though “he might not have been as funny as he thought he was,” the teen’s family said in an online fundraiser for his funeral expenses.

“His sudden passing has left a void in our hearts that can never be filled,” wrote his family, adding that Angelo’s “spirit and love for life touched many.”

Even as a student at Phelps Luck Elementary School, Angelo left an impression. Jermaine Brown had just started working in the education field when he met Little, a fifth grader who Brown described as strong-willed and immensely respectful. Later, as a teenager, Little was still “never too cool” to say hello to Brown when they encountered each other in the neighborhood, he said.

“His mother raised him well,” Brown said.

A spokesperson for Howard County Public Schools said that Little was a student at the Homewood Center, an Ellicott City institution that offers nontraditional classroom programs for students in grades six to 12.

In a Sunday letter to families, Homewood Principal Dwayne Williams encouraged parents to support their children as they cope with the “very sad news” of the shooting.

“Even if your child is not directly impacted by Angelo’s death, they may hear about it from other children or adults in the community,” Williams wrote. “Whenever there is an unexpected death, we are all struck by a wide range of emotions and a deep sense of loss.”

He said the tragedy was “devastating for Angelo’s family” and asked for others in the school community to respect their privacy. He said the school’s front office would be accepting cards expressing condolences to Little’s family and that information regarding funeral services was not yet available.