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Congressman Works To Find Nephew's Killer

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings is on a crusade to find his nephew's killer, but he's also concerned for the safety of students who live in and around the site of Christopher Cummings' murder.

Mary Bubala reports he traveled to Virginia to issue a warning.

"Whoever the persons were that did this, believe me, will do it again," Cummings said.

Cummings traveled south from Maryland over the weekend to the site of his nephew's murder, off-campus housing near Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

On Friday, police said they were closing in on a suspect, naming a person of interest in Christopher Cummings' death.

"We knew about this person of interest and it was our understanding that the police, it took them a while to find them. We didn't know what had happened to him and that's why we were so pleased that he had been found," Cummings said.

Cummings is concerned, though, about the safety of other students. Violent crime is an issue. One student was robbed at gunpoint on the first day of class.

"Christopher is dead. He's gone. And so I am not here for him; I am here for these other ODU students," Cummings said.

"It's good he came back to send a message to other people, students," said one person.

Congressman Cummings said his nephew never felt safe where he lived because of the crime near his off-campus house.

The person of interest in the case is a 20-year-old man from Newport News. Police say he was involved in an incident at Christopher Cummings' house hours before his death.

"I'm begging you if you know what happened...come before the police and tell them what you know," Cummings said.

Police have issued a search warrant for the home of the 20-year-old man named as a person of interest, but so far, no arrests have been made.

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