Man charged with murder in grandparents’ shooting deaths

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    COLUMBIA, Maryland (WBAL) — Officers arrested a man who Howard County police said killed his grandparents in Columbia.

DiAngelo Wayne Smith, 33, remained held Tuesday without bail on charges that include two counts of first-degree murder, stemming from Monday’s killings of his grandparents, Jack Stokes, 78, and Barbara Stokes, 65, at their home on Red Haven Road.

Neighbors called the victims kind and friendly, saying they raised Smith.

“They were nice, they were quiet. She would walk her dog out in the neighborhood fairly often. I would see her out here and she would always say hi to me proactively, very sweet,” said Brian Prengaman, a neighbor.

“She didn’t come out of the house much,” an anonymous neighbor told 11 News. “I heard she had a stroke, that was a few years ago. And, Jack was very friendly, kind of a big, burly guy and very pleasant and nice.”

According to court documents obtained by 11 News, an adult inside the home at the time of the shooting called 911 about gunshots. Police said the adult witness, who was not injured, may have jumped out of a window to escape the alleged shooter.

The court documents indicate officers found Smith armed with a weapon and sitting next to a child inside a car in front of the home. Police told 11 News that the child is now safe and under care.

Officers described pulling Smith out of the car, securing the weapon and placing Smith under arrest. The officers found the victims’ bodies on the second floor of their home, both dead from apparent gunshot wounds to the head.

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