Edgewood Death Ruled Homicide by Gunshot; Public’s Assistance Sought in Investigation

The death of an Edgewood man found in his home Sunday morning has been ruled a homicide, police said Monday.

An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found that Robert Wesley Johns, 51, died of a gunshot wound, according to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Sheriff’s Office call logs and spokesman Edward Hopkins, deputies were called to Johns’ apartment on the 1700 block of Fountain Rock Way shortly after midnight Sunday when a caller reported “banging” coming from his apartment.

Deputies arrived at 12:26 a.m. and knocked on Johns’ door, but did not receive an answer. As “nothing appeared out of the ordinary,” Hopkins said deputies coded the call as unfounded and cleared the call five minutes later, at 12:31 a.m.

Nine hours later, deputies returned to the apartment after a neighbor asked police to check on Johns’ well-being after not having seen him since the night before. Deputies found the door locked but could hear a TV playing inside. Observing blood on the door and a person on the floor, deputies forced entry and found Johns’ body inside the apartment, which appeared to be ransacked.

An investigation is ongoing, and the Sheriff’s Office seeks the public’s assistance. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Chris Sergent at 410-836-5428. Those who wish to remain anonymous may report their information via the Sheriff’s Office through www.harfordsheriff.org.

Qualifying tips leading to a conviction may be eligible for up to $2,000 in rewards. Tipsters can text a tip to Metro Crime Stoppers by texting “CRIMES” (274637), beginning the message “MCS,” then adding the tip.