COLUMBIA, MD — A man was fatally shot outside the Harper's Choice Village Center Thursday in Columbia, according to the Howard County Police Department. Officials said the shooting may have been drug related.

The 27-year-old victim was found after officers were called to the 5400 block of Old Tucker Row for a report of someone who had been shot at 5:21 p.m. on Thursday, March 28. His name was not immediately released. Police said the man was located outside Kahler Hall at the village center, and he was taken to Howard County General Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

Based on the initial investigation, there were two suspects involved in the shooting. Witnesses heard two to three shots go off after two men approached the victim, police said. The suspects both left after the shots were fired, according to officials. Due to the heavy police presence, the after-school program at Harper's Choice Middle School went into lockdown from approximately 5:30 to 6 p.m. on Thursday out of an abundance of caution, the principal wrote in a note to families. When they were dismissed, students were directed to avoid the area between the Harper's Choice Village Center and the Columbia Association Athletic Club.

The investigation into the deadly shooting is ongoing, police reported before 8 p.m. on Thursday. Anyone with information should call 911.

