Elliot Knox and Travon Shaw were arrested on Dec. 17 for shooting Officer Keona Holley in the head in Baltimore, Md.
Officer Holley was working a night shift in the city’s southern district on Dec. 16 and sitting in her patrol car when she was shot twice in the head. She was also shot in the leg and hand. The tricenarian survived the shooting.
Around 1:30 a.m. on the 4400 block of Pennington Ave., Knox and Shaw allegedly approached Holley’s patrol car from behind and opened fire. No motive has been established, but authorities believe that Holley was targeted because she was a police officer.
Elliot Knox, 31, and 32-year-old Travon Shaw were arrested for shooting Holley the following day. Officer Holley is being treated at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in the ICU unit. She is on life support and critically injured.
A reward of $59,000 was offered by the Baltimore City FOP, Crimestoppers, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, FBI and ATF for information on the suspects before Knox and Shaw were apprehended. The reward was later upped to $118,000. Surveillance video in the area helped police identify and track down the vehicle the men were driving.
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) December 16, 2021
THE LATEST: 2 Arrested In Baltimore Police Officer Keona Holley's Shooting & Separate Murder Case @wjz https://t.co/vvWrglWxtt
— Jessica Albert (@JessicaAlbertTV) December 17, 2021
Holley, 39, became a Baltimore Police Officer at 37-years-old to make a change in her community. She spoke briefly about becoming a police officer as a trainee at the police academy.
“I feel like Baltimore city police officers have a bad name about themselves,” she said. “And we have to change that — and change it together.”
Officer Holley has four children. Her sister provided an impassioned plea. If anyone deserves to be called Officer, she does. She joined the Baltimore Police in her late 30s-to make a difference.🙏🏽 Thank you, Officer Holley. $118,000 reward pic.twitter.com/izw2HuSOWu
— T.J. Smith (@TJSmithSocial) December 16, 2021
Knox and Shaw were also charged with shooting and killing another person just one hour later. Thirty-eight-year-old Justin Johnson was also shot in his car on Lucia Avenue in Yale Heights. Shaw reportedly knew Johnson and killed him after he refused to become an accessory.
Johnson’s mother, Justina Lawrence, said Shaw went to Johnson’s the following day fishing for information about what the police knew from the deceased man’s girlfriend.
“Before he got arrested and was playing with my son’s baby this is true playing with his baby and questioning his girlfriend, trying to find out what she knew, had the police been there, what did they say, how long were they there,” said Lawrence.
Both men face multiple felony charges, including first-degree murder and attempted murder.
