Maryland man allegedly shoots and kills his roommate after an argument over a television remote

A man in Maryland allegedly shot and killed his roommate after an argument broke out over the television remote. He has been arrested and held without bond, according to WTTG.

Richard Bennaugh, 38, of Springdale, Maryland, now faces charges of manslaughter after 27-year-old Domonique Scott Hayes passed away following the incident. Prince George's County Police posted to Instagram on Friday, noting that they responded to a call around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.

They wrote: "The Homicide Unit arrested and charged a suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of his roommate on Wednesday in Springdale. The suspect is 38-year-old Richard Bennaugh from Springdale. He is charged with manslaughter in connection with the fatal shooting of a 27-year-old Domonique Scott Hayes."

"On January 10, 2024, at approximately 12:30 pm, officers responded to the 2800 block of Berrywood Lane for the report of a shooting. Officers discovered the decedent inside of a home suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene."

Fox News Digital reported that Bennaugh did not call the police until six hours after the altercation occurred, which took place around 5:30 a.m. or 6:00 a.m.

Bennaugh told the authorities that his roommate had entered the home "with knives," according to documents obtained by WTTG. Bennaugh said the altercation was ignited after he had fallen asleep on the sofa and was awakened by Hayes "making a lot of noise" in the kitchen.

Then Hayes asked Bennaugh where the remote was, but he ignored him.

Bennaugh, who reportedly had a part of a blanket pulled over his head, removed it and saw Hayes holding a knife. He quickly grabbed his handgun and shot Hayes before hurrying up to the third floor.

Bennaugh claimed that he did not see Hayes was injured, so he assumed Hayes had not been hit. Then he went back to sleep, according to the report.

The charging documents stated Bennaugh later drove to a friend's house in Lanham to discuss what happened. He eventually made his way to a marijuana dispensary to purchase $50 worth of marijuana, according to documents.

The report went on to mention that Bennaugh gathered the fired casings and flushed them down the toilet before sweeping the dust from the damage in the walls.

He only called the police after telling several people about what happened — and they urged him to contact the authorites.

It is not clear whether Bennaugh has an attorney.

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