Maxwell Emerson, a 25-year-old social studies teacher and assistant wrestling coach at Oldham County High School in La Grange, Kentucky, was shot and killed on Wednesday morning while visiting Washington, DC. Emerson was in the city to attend a teachers’ workshop at the Library of Congress, which he had won a grant to attend.
According to his family, Emerson was on his way to the workshop when he was gunned down in front of Father O’Connell Hall on Catholic University’s campus. Emerson’s mother and brother had accompanied him to DC to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend before the workshop began.
Surveillance video from the scene showed two men walking onto the campus from Michigan Avenue NE into the plaza in front of Father O’Connell Hall. After a few minutes, one of the men shot Emerson before fleeing the scene. Police believe that the two men knew each other, but Emerson’s family disputes this claim, stating that there was no way he knew the shooter.
Neither the suspect nor Emerson were affiliated with Catholic University, according to the police. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
Stay with News4 for updates on this developing story.
