SMITHSBURG, Md. — A several-day manhunt for a fired Baltimore County police officer wanted in multiple kidnappings across two states ended Thursday with four fatalities.
Police say Robert Vicosa died following a police pursuit near Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, and tragically ended in a crash just beyond the Maryland line in Washington County.
Officers discovered Vicosa and his two young daughters shot in the back seat of a stolen Ford Edge. Vicosa and one daughter died on the scene, while the other passed away at a local hospital.
Behind the wheel was 35-year-old Tia Bynum, a suspended Baltimore County Police sergeant who allegedly aided Vicosa throughout his rampage. She, too, appeared to have been shot and died on the scene.
Police in York, Pennsylvania, began the search for Vicosa on Tuesday after he allegedly broke into a home, held his ex-wife captive and sexually assaulted her before fleeing in her car with their six and seven-year-old daughters, Aaminah and Giana, against a court order.
Not long after the initial incident, Vicosa ran the stolen car into a creek in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, at which point he carjacked another woman.
Then on Wednesday, Vicosa, accompanied by Bynum, struck again, this time in Cockeysville, holding a man at gunpoint and forcing him to drive various places around the area before letting him go unharmed.
Police say Vicosa and Bynum had an assault rifle and other firearms with them in the vehicle. Detectives are calling the case a murder-suicide but have not revealed who they believe pulled the trigger.
A motive has also not been determined.
Governor Larry Hogan reacted to the situation on Twitter.
We are grieving tonight over the unfathomable loss of two innocent children in what is clearly a horrific tragedy and heinous crime.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) November 19, 2021
Maryland State Police have begun what will be a thorough investigation into today’s events.
Ryan Dickstein at WMAR first reported this story.
