A five-week manhunt for a Prince George’s man accused of fatally shooting a 3-year-old girl in Landover came to a quiet end Tuesday morning with his capture in a Southeast Washington apartment, authorities said.

But the investigation isn’t over, as police said they will try to determine how the suspect, Davon A. Wallace, was able to elude officials for 38 days.

Wallace, 25, is accused of killing Knijah Bibb by firing shots into his girlfriend’s house Aug. 10. Prince George’s authorities said they are considering whether anyone should face charges for hiding or harboring Wallace.

“You don’t for 38 days fall off the grid without someone to help you,” said the county police chief, Mark A. Magaw. “I want a timeline . . . where he has been and who has helped him.”

Wallace was found in an apartment on Jasper Road, near St. Elizabeths Hospital, about 7 a.m. Tuesday, police said.

Members of the Prince George’s fugitive squad located Wallace through a variety of leads and asked D.C. police to make the arrest, said Maj. Robert Brewer, commander of the county police special investigation division.

Wallace stayed at the apartment for about a week, and two adults and four small children were there during the arrest, police said.

Authorities would not disclose Wallace’s relationship with the apartment’s occupants but said they were being interviewed as part of the investigation.

Mother’s reaction

Knijah’s mother, Shadon Bibb, said Wallace’s arrest is bittersweet.

“I’m happy that he is caught, but I’m very, very sad because it still doesn’t bring my daughter back,” Bibb said. “All I really want is to have my daughter back.”

Wallace has been charged with first-degree murder and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Authorities allege that a bullet Wallace intended for someone else hit Knijah.

Police say Knijah, who lived in the District, was visiting the house in Landover when Wallace got into an argument over clothes with a teen there.

After the disagreement, police say, Wallace left, returned with a gun and fired shots at the house.

Days after the shooting, police arrested Brian R. Campbell, who is accused of giving Wallace a gun and driving him from the scene of the shooting. Campbell, 24, was charged with murder, manslaughter and being an accessory in the girl’s death.

To track Wallace, detectives spent thousands of hours, visited more than 50 addresses and interviewed dozens of people from New Jersey to North Carolina, Brewer said.

Hope for closure

Brewer expressed the hope that it would bring “some closure to this family that Mr. Wallace is off the street.”

On Saturday, the family threw a birthday party for Knijah, who would have turned 4 over the weekend.

This coming weekend, the family plans to visit her grave to deliver the news of Wallace’s arrest.

Knijah’s grandmother Brenda Bibb said the arrest means “we can now be at peace.”

The follow-up

The FBI and Prince George’s police were offering a $45,000 reward for Wallace’s capture. Brewer said it is too soon to tell whether anyone is eligible for the reward.

Maj. Cesar Pacheco, commander of the criminal investigation division, said other people could be charged, depending on how the rest of the investigation plays out.

He urged anyone who has had contact with Wallace in the past five weeks to reach out to police “before we have cause to come see you.”

Shadon Bibb said she has been struggling with sleepless nights and lack of appetite since Knijah’s death.

“I prefer it would have been me and not any of my kids,” she said. “I know I’m still young, but she didn’t have enough time to even commit a sin.”

Victoria St. Martin contributed to this report.

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