2008 Woodie Awards
Man killed in Univ. Town Center lived with Howard student
Ben Worsley
Issue date: 3/3/08 Section: News
A man was shot and killed Friday afternoon in an apartment at the student housing complex at University Town Center in Hyattsville, according to police.
Donald James Smalls Jr., 19, was shot once in the lower body in an apartment in The Towers at about 2 p.m., Prince George's County Police said in a statement. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died.
A source close to the investigation said Smalls, who was shot in a 10th-floor apartment, was not a student but was the boyfriend of a Howard University student, who lives in the apartment. The shooting was not believed to be random, the source said.
Smalls lived at The Towers, according to county police.
Maj. Kevin Davis, the commander of District 1, would not disclose the circumstances of the shooting because the investigation is ongoing.
Officer Henry Tippett, a police spokesman said detectives are still investigating leads and establishing a motive in the shooting.
Catherine Timko, a University Town Center spokeswoman, confirmed that Smalls was not a resident of the complex. Students from several schools live at the more than 900-bed complex, including students from this university, Howard University, Catholic University and American University.
Timko said that residents of The Towers were notified with door-to-door memos shortly after the shooting occurred and staff at the complex initiated a grief counseling program Friday afternoon "literally minutes after the shooting happened." Meetings with counselors are still being scheduled, she said.
Residents were also invited to a safety meeting with Hyattsville City Police and county police on Saturday, Timko added.
"[The] Towers at UTC management team has an emergency program in place, designed specifically to handle incidents such as this, and it was immediately implemented," Timko wrote in an e-mail.
She explained that the complex has "a multi-level security program" that includes a security desk staffed 24 hours a day, a security patrol and cameras. Guests can only enter if they are with a resident of The Towers, she said, in which case they must sign in upon entering.
Timko praised JPI Student Living, the organization that owns The Towers, for its prompt reaction to the shooting.
"They have a very good procedure for handling this," Timko said. "They've been doing this a long time. They're not novices."
Kim Moss, an employee of JPI Student Living who manages The Towers, could not be reached for comment.
The Towers at University Town Center can house up to 910 residents, Timko said, and it is currently 99.9 percent occupied. Students from 13 different universities throughout the area live in The Towers.
worsleydbk@gmail.com
Donald James Smalls Jr., 19, was shot once in the lower body in an apartment in The Towers at about 2 p.m., Prince George's County Police said in a statement. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died.
A source close to the investigation said Smalls, who was shot in a 10th-floor apartment, was not a student but was the boyfriend of a Howard University student, who lives in the apartment. The shooting was not believed to be random, the source said.
Smalls lived at The Towers, according to county police.
Maj. Kevin Davis, the commander of District 1, would not disclose the circumstances of the shooting because the investigation is ongoing.
Officer Henry Tippett, a police spokesman said detectives are still investigating leads and establishing a motive in the shooting.
Catherine Timko, a University Town Center spokeswoman, confirmed that Smalls was not a resident of the complex. Students from several schools live at the more than 900-bed complex, including students from this university, Howard University, Catholic University and American University.
Timko said that residents of The Towers were notified with door-to-door memos shortly after the shooting occurred and staff at the complex initiated a grief counseling program Friday afternoon "literally minutes after the shooting happened." Meetings with counselors are still being scheduled, she said.
Residents were also invited to a safety meeting with Hyattsville City Police and county police on Saturday, Timko added.
"[The] Towers at UTC management team has an emergency program in place, designed specifically to handle incidents such as this, and it was immediately implemented," Timko wrote in an e-mail.
She explained that the complex has "a multi-level security program" that includes a security desk staffed 24 hours a day, a security patrol and cameras. Guests can only enter if they are with a resident of The Towers, she said, in which case they must sign in upon entering.
Timko praised JPI Student Living, the organization that owns The Towers, for its prompt reaction to the shooting.
"They have a very good procedure for handling this," Timko said. "They've been doing this a long time. They're not novices."
Kim Moss, an employee of JPI Student Living who manages The Towers, could not be reached for comment.
The Towers at University Town Center can house up to 910 residents, Timko said, and it is currently 99.9 percent occupied. Students from 13 different universities throughout the area live in The Towers.
worsleydbk@gmail.com
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Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 8
utc sucks
posted 3/03/08 @ 2:32 PM EST
UTC sucks, what do they mean, they have multi-level security? The security guards are normally sleeping, flirting with girls or just plain incompent.
I remember when there was a fire in UTC, the secuirty guard was soo lost. (Continued…)
el
posted 3/03/08 @ 7:05 PM EST
Godd story, but needs some clarification. You state once that the police say he was a resident at the Towers, then you state that according to the Towers, Smalls did not live there. (Continued…)
Clair Fish
posted 3/04/08 @ 9:47 AM EST
Speaking as the mother of a student who lives in this building. Perhaps its time for an undercover investigation to see how good their "multi-level" security plan(s) really work. (Continued…)
Khris
posted 3/04/08 @ 12:44 PM EST
I used to live at UTC, and I moved out after experiencing the building's terrible management. Their so-called "multi-lvel" security is nothing more than security guards sitting at their desks all day. (Continued…)
cash honkey
posted 3/11/08 @ 4:00 PM EST
R.I.P. Whitebul
Some 1 close to DJ
posted 3/11/08 @ 8:01 PM EST
Thank you "cash honkey"! I guess to those who didn't know DJ it's all about building security and not the fact that a human life was taken. R.I.P. DJ our lives won't be the same without you!
big al
posted 3/13/08 @ 10:11 AM EST
this is about building security? how about dope dealing? one tends to have less security when one engages in the fine art of "hustlin'". people that allow that activity tend to have less security too. (Continued…)
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