Education

D.C. police release suspect photos in Ky. teacher murder; family says he was robbed

Detectives from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance in finding a suspect in the homicide of a Kentucky teacher that occurred on Wednesday, July 5. The suspect was shown in surveillance cameras. police said.
Detectives from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance in finding a suspect in the homicide of a Kentucky teacher that occurred on Wednesday, July 5. The suspect was shown in surveillance cameras. police said. Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department

Police have released suspect photos in the fatal shooting of a Kentucky teacher on a Washington, D.C., university campus and his family reported that he was robbed at gunpoint.

Washington, D.C.., police also offered a $25,000 reward in the case.

Maxwell Emerson, 25, a social studies teacher and wrestling coach at Oldham County High School, was in Washington for professional development training when the fatal shooting occurred July 5 at Catholic University.

Washington, D.C., police initially said they thought Emerson and the suspect knew each other because they were walking together.

But Emerson’s family told The Washington Post and Louisville’s WAVE News that he knew no one in Washington and that he had texted his mother, who was traveling with him, that he was robbed at gunpoint and needed help.

Maxwell Emerson, an Oldham County Schools high school teacher, was fatally shot in Washington, D.C., July 5, 2023.
Maxwell Emerson, an Oldham County Schools high school teacher, was fatally shot in Washington, D.C., July 5, 2023. Oldham County Schools

This story was originally published July 8, 2023 at 12:44 PM.

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Valarie Honeycutt Spears
Lexington Herald-Leader
859-379-4967
Staff writer Valarie Honeycutt Spears covers K-12 education, social issues and other topics. She is a Lexington native with southeastern Kentucky roots.  Support my work with a digital subscription
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