Germantown Man Charged in New Year’s Day Shooting

A parking lot dispute that ended with shots fired New Year’s Day in Silver Spring has led to attempted murder charges against a Germantown resident. No one was injured in the shooting.

Lamaughan Solomon, 38, of the 18100 block of Chalet Drive, was charged with two counts of attempted murder and reckless endangerment, according to Montgomery County Police.

Police said the incident stemmed from a months-long disagreement between Solomon and Derek Bratcher, 32, of Silver Spring.

Bratcher was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree assault and reckless endangerment, according to online court records. And police said additional suspects could be charged in the shooting. 

At around 2:54 p.m. Tuesday, 3rd District officers responded to the 13000 block of Brahms Terrace in Silver Spring for multiple reports of shots fired in the area. 

Investigation revealed that Solomon and Bratcher had confronted each other in a parking lot and got into a second confrontation later that day.

In the second dispute, police allege that an “unknown suspect” with Bratcher  displayed a handgun prompting Solomon to pull out a gun and start firing toward Bratcher and one of his family members.

Police said Bratcher drove away from the scene.

Police have asked anyone with information to contact the 3rd District Investigative Section at 301-565-5835. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or leave a Crime Solvers tip here.  Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided to them that leads to an arrest and/or indictment for this felony crime.