CATONSVILLE, Md. — Nearly 30 years after a National Guard veteran was shot and killed outside a Catonsville bar, Baltimore County police are renewing their plea to the public for answers.
Donniel Rheubottom was 36 years old, a Catonsville resident, and a National Guard veteran who served in the Persian Gulf and was honorably discharged.
On Sept. 30, 1997, his day off work, he was outside with friends at what was once a bar at 180 Winters Lane when a man walked up and asked for a cigarette. As Rheubottom reached for one, the man reached for his gun.
Cpl. Dona Carter of the Baltimore County Police Cold Case Unit described the moments surrounding the shooting.
"The witnesses run, because they're immediately going to call 911, running into the bar asking for help, so nobody sees what happens leading up to that, but then everybody hears one gunshot and they come out and they find a gun and they shot one time." Carter said.
Rheubottom was killed steps from his Catonsville home. He left behind a wife, a son, and a church community where he was known for playing bass guitar in the choir.
Evidence of how loved he was could be found within his funeral program, which contained notes from his wife and son and memories of RC cars and a trip to Disney World.
Witnesses provided details to police but said they did not recognize the suspect. Police said a handful of groups were committing robberies in the area during that time, and with no surveillance footage and nothing to connect any suspects to the murder, the case went cold.
"There were items of evidence that were found, away from the scene that indicate that they were from this actual crime. They were items that seemingly belonged to the victim. I can't say that things have been tested, but that's something that we're gonna look into further, to see if maybe there are things that we might be able to test now." Carter said.
Baltimore County police are asking anyone with information about Rheubottom's death to call 410-887-3943.
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