FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: January 20, 2014
CONTACT: Bill Kennedy
PHONE: (Office) 540-658-4468
HOMICIDE

Stafford, Va. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that Mark Howsare, age 62, of 636 Belle Plains Road in Stafford County has been charged with 1 Count of First Degree Murder in the shooting death of William Conner, age 35 of Stafford County. Mr. Howsare is currently incarcerated at the Rappahannock Regional Jail under no bond.

On Sunday, January 19, 2014 multiple units of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office responded to 636 Belle Plains Road at 10:18 pm for a report of a person shot. When deputies arrived on scene they came in contact with a friend of the victim who told responding deputies that Mr. Conner had been shot on the front porch and that the man who had shot Mr. Conner was possibly still in the residence. The friend told deputies that her friend had staggered off of the porch. The victim was located, dead, in the yard of the residence. A perimeter was set up in an attempt to located Mark Howsare as the friend of the victim was not sure if Howsare had left the residence.

Units from the Sheriff’s Office maintained a perimeter around the suspect’s residence as numerous attempts were made to contact Mark Howsare. A helicopter from the Maryland State Police was called in to assist. Shortly after 1:25 this morning Mark Howsare was taken into custody by members of the Stafford Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, in his bathroom, still armed with a handgun. Howsare was taken into custody without further incident.

The initial investigation indicates that the victim in this incident, who frequently visited the residence, had gone to a local store to return an air mattress for Mr. Howsare but was unable to do so When the victim returned to the residence he was locked out of the house. An argument then ensued with Mr. Howsare who was still inside. During that argument Mr. Howsare opened the door and shot a hand gun with several of the shots hitting the victim. The reasons for the argument are unclear at this time.

The investigation into this incident is ongoing. No other information will be available at this time.