The mother of a United States Naval Academy midshipman was reportedly shot and killed outside her hotel in Annapolis, Maryland on Tuesday after dropping her son off for Induction Day.
Michelle Jordan Cummings, 57, her husband and another couple were sitting on the patio of the Graduate Hotel in Annapolis when she was struck multiple times by stray bullets around 12:30 a.m. It is speculated the gunfire came from a drive-by shooting incident at a nearby street. Cummings was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to Fox5, Annapolis Police Chief Edward Jackson said shootings in this area are “extremely rare.” Police are still searching for the murderer and have not provided details on the development of this case.
After police identified the woman as Cummings, the official United States Naval Academy Twitter account shared the tragic news.
"As members of our Naval Academy family, we will do all that we can to support Leonard, his father and the entire Cummings family during this unfathomable time. My wife, Joanne, and I, on behalf of all of us here in Annapolis, offer our deepest sympathies." - VADM Buck
— U.S. Naval Academy (@NavalAcademy) June 30, 2021
Cummings and her husband were in town from Houston to help their son, Leonard Cummings III, who goes by Trey, get settled at U.S.N.A. as he began Plebe Summer. He plans to be inducted on Wednesday and play football for the academy this year.
“This city’s heart is broken,” Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley told ABC7. “Somebody has lost their mum on the most proudest day probably of her life, so there are no circumstances where this can be tolerated.”
A close friend of Cummings created a GoFundMe to help the family cover transportation costs to send Cumming’s body to her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the impending funeral expenses. Nearly $70,000 has been raised.
Trey Cummings will reportedly in-process today and then take leave to process his mother’s sudden death. He will rejoin the Brigade and start training in the near future.
Officer in charge of plebe summer says Naval Academy will wrap their arms around Trey Cummings after his mom was killed by stray bullets in Annapolis. Cummings will in-process today and then take leave; police press conference at 130 today @wjz pic.twitter.com/gKVzYlqIDK
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) June 30, 2021
Unfortunately, crime rates across the country have spiked tremendously this year. In Midtown Manhattan alone, as Spencer reported, “robberies are up more than 170 percent, felony assaults are up more than 200 percent, and hate crimes are up 800 percent over last year.”
Just days ago, a U.S. Marine was hit by a stray bullet while visiting Times Square with his family, as we reported. And as Katie explained, “An increase in violent crime is predictable and has been bolstered by the left's efforts to defund the police in cities across the country.”
Defunding police efforts, as well as “bail reform” laws that allow alleged criminals to walk free within hours, put communities at risk every day. If these egregious efforts continue, it’s only a matter of time before this kind of unacceptable behavior seeps into safer areas.
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