Kayla Richardson was shot on her Upper Marlboro block days before her 30th birthday.
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Police said a woman shot outside an Upper Marlboro home Tuesday morning has died, turning a driveway attack in a quiet Prince George’s County neighborhood into a homicide investigation.
Kayla Richardson, 29, was shot about 7:15 a.m. in the 10400 block of Birdie Lane, police said. She was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died Thursday morning. Police said her former partner, Dante Morris, 30, of Fort Mill, South Carolina, was the suspect.
Investigators said Richardson was in the driveway when the shooting happened. A doorbell camera captured the sound of about eight gunshots. A 911 dispatcher described multiple wounds, including a head wound. Crime scene markers were placed across the driveway as detectives collected evidence.
Police said Morris left Maryland after the shooting and returned to South Carolina. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant, but Morris was found dead Tuesday evening at his South Carolina home. Authorities said they believe he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The case drew a large police response to Somerset Square, where residents said they are not used to cruisers and crime tape. “Not even fighting. It’s been quiet. It’s unusual,” one neighbor said. Another resident said the neighborhood had gone decades without violence like this.
Neighbors said Richardson had grown up nearby and had moved back home while her mother was being treated for cancer. June 4 was Richardson’s birthday. One neighbor, fighting tears, said Richardson “had just begun to enjoy life.” Her family declined to comment.
Prince George’s County police said the York County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina, its SWAT Team and Crisis Negotiator Unit, and the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force helped in the case. Detectives continued canvassing for witness information after the shooting.
Author note: Last updated June 7, 2026.