Rockville, MD – In the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable Carlos Acosta sentenced defendant Kenneth Oates, 40, of Gaithersburg, to 100 years in prison, suspending all but 35 years to serve, with five years of supervised probation upon release. The sentencing hearing was held on October 19, 2026.
Oates was convicted by a jury on April 28, 2026, on one count of attempted second-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, one count of illegal possession of a regulated firearm, and violation of a protective order. The charges stem from an incident at Welsh Park in Rockville on Saturday, October 26, 2024. Oates’ on-again, off-again girlfriend was at the park watching a friend play flag football. During halftime, she was seated in her vehicle in the parking lot as her friend stood outside talking with her. Oates emerged from the wood line with his hood up, walked directly toward her vehicle, pulled a loaded gun from his waistband, and began shooting. The friend ran for his life through a field. He saw in his peripheral vision bullets striking the ground near him as he ran. The defendant fired seven gunshots into the vehicle as the woman behind the wheel fled for her life, driving away through a field. The park was crowded with families at the time. As the shooting occurred, a man dropped to the ground for cover, over his son’s body to protect him. A 9-year-old boy, who testified at trial, witnessed the defendant shooting at the victims. The boy hid in the playground and then rode his bicycle home to tell his parents about the “gunner in the park.” An investigation by the Rockville City Police Department determined Oates fired a total of 14 gunshots.
“It is a miracle that no one was physically injured in this shooting. It happened on a sunny Saturday afternoon, in a space filled with families who will never forget the shooting at their park, where they thought they were safe. This is a clear example of how domestic violence affects entire communities. We are grateful to the judge for issuing an appropriate sentence in this matter,” said Assistant State’s Attorney and Special Victims Division Chief Debbie Feinstein.
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Assistant State’s Attorneys Jodie Mount and Daniel Saad prosecuted this case.
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