On Sunday, January 4, 2026, officers responded to a report of a shooting in a retail store parking lot on the 5200 block of Germantown Avenue. They found a male victim on the ground and detained another male at the scene. The 32-year-old victim was transported to a hospital and listed in critical condition with multiple gunshot and stab wounds. The detained male is 37 years old.
Investigators identified a related crime scene with blood evidence leading from the parking lot to a nearby residence in the same area. A second victim, a 34-year-old male, arrived at a hospital by private vehicle with a gunshot wound to the arm and was listed in stable condition.
Preliminary investigation indicates the incident began inside a residence during a physical and verbal altercation involving multiple individuals. The detained male stated he shot the critically injured victim after that victim shot the second male in the arm. He further stated that he struck and stabbed the first victim while attempting to protect others, and during a struggle over a firearm, he shot the victim once. He then followed the injured victim to the parking lot while yelling for someone to call the police.
At this time, no formal charges have been filed.
The 32-year-old victim has been identified as Arkel Garcia and is wanted in connection with a prior homicide that occurred on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at approximately 10:51 AM, at 49XX Stenton Avenue, involving the death of a 68-year-old male, who was found unresponsive in an apartment with signs of blunt force trauma.
The investigation remains ongoing with the Homicide Unit and the Shooting Investigation Group.