5 Children Killed In Route 301 Crash Identified: MDSP

BOWIE, MD — Five children between the ages of 5 and 15 were killed in a single-car crash on Route 301 near Pointer Ridge Drive early Saturday morning, according to Maryland State Police.

Captain Dan Pickett, Troop Commander for the Maryland State Police Washington Metro Troop, said at a press conference Saturday afternoon that authorities received a call for a car collision on Route 301 northbound shortly before 5 a.m.

Troopers responded to the scene along with the Prince George's County Fire Department. Pickett said EMS officials found a collision scene involving a single car and said the scene was significant with multiple victims.

A preliminary investigation found that a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica going northbound on Route 301 lost control and went off the left side of the road, Pickett said. The car struck several trees and began to spin in a snow covered field, according to Pickett.

Five children between the ages of 5 and 15 were ejected from the car and pronounced dead at the scene. Pickett said it appears that the children were not restrained properly, according to a preliminary investigation. The driver and front seat passenger were were wearing seatbelts, police said, based on preliminary evidence.

In a press release, police identified the children killed as London Dixon, 8, and Paris Dixon, 5, of Bowie. The other three children were from Washington D.C. and were identified as Zion Beard, 14, Rickelle Ricks, 6, and Damari Herald, 15.

The driver and front-seat passenger were taken to the hospital.

Authorities have not ruled out any possible cause of circumstance that contributed to the crash, Pickett said.

Authorities have spoken to the driver of the car who is the mother of two of the children killed, according to Pickett.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said he was deeply saddened by the crash.

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