Photo Courtesy of Rajaee Black
Three families were torn apart after a Baltimore man killed two women and committed suicide while his two small children were with him earlier this month.
On December 11, Rajaee Shareef Black, 44, fatally shot his ex-girlfriend, Tara Labang, 41, inside of a house in South Baltimore. Afterward, he drove to Columbia, Maryland, where he shot and killed his ex-wife, Wendy Natalie Black, 42.
Rajaee posted a video on Facebook explaining what had occurred. He alluded to having “just did something crazy.”
“I just shot my ex-girlfriend in the head,” he said, referring to Labang. “Felt like a dream. I never thought I would be that guy. I can’t go to prison, so the person that really started my depression and all of this is my ex-wife. So, she next. Then I’m going to do myself too.”
As he arrived at his former wife Wendy’s apartment, he said, “Oh, there’s my ex-wife right now.”
Abruptly, the video ended.
Police were called to the scene shortly after 2 pm. Authorities discovered Wendy and Rajaee’s bodies and his two small children in his gray BMW X3 in the parking lot of the apartment complex after the shooting. The children were not hurt and did not see the murder/ suicide.
The Baltimore Sun reported that the video also detailed that Rajaee was angry over issues stemming from custody cases with Labang and Wendy. The publication also disclosed that the man had been entangled in monthly filings since July 2018. The most recent filing occurred on December 7.
There were also multiple domestic violence cases against the deceased suspect dating back to July 2018. But the cases from that year were dropped. A domestic violence charge from April 2020 was dismissed by a magistrate. Court documents didn’t list who filed the charges.
Marjorie Cook Legal Clinic Director Dorothy Lennig told the publication about concerns regarding Rajaee’s ability to get a firearm given his track record of violence.
“People always talk about what she should have done differently. And lots of times the victim did everything she was supposed to do,” she said. “We really need to then look at the abuser for what he did and how do we keep him from abusing.”
“It’s just very important that we stay focused on that domestic violence really is dangerous and lethal,” she continued. “We have not solved that problem. And not only do we need to look at the physical abuse, we really need to look at coercive control.”
The children are safe, according to the police. And the video hasn’t been released to the public.
Our prayers go out to families involved.