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Baltimore County Police Charge 4 Men In Towson Town Center Murder

TOWSON, Md. (WJZ)-- It was a brutal murder days before Christmas. A teen was shot multiple times steps outside Towson Town Center as hundreds shopped inside. Now, four men are behind bars charged in the killing.

Andrea Fujii has more on how surveillance video helped police crack the case.

Investigators say those four men were targeting the victim. They followed him around the mall, then killed him just steps outside.

Four men are behind bars for a highly publicized killing just a week before Christmas. Rodney Pridget Jr., 19, was gunned down outside Towson Town Center.

His father-- who didn't want to be shown on camera-- spoke to WJZ.

"They need to be in jail," his father, Rodney Pridget Sr., said. "You can't go around here killing people, you know what I mean, and think you can get away with it."

Investigators say Jermell Brandon spotted the teen inside a store and called Frank Williams, who drove to the mall with two other men, William Ward and Tyrone Brown.

Police say the four men used cell phones to communicate as they followed Pridget throughout the mall. It all ended outside Nordstrom where the victim was shot and killed.

Hundreds of surveillance cameras inside and outside the mall tracked the suspects.

"The video footage from the cameras in and around the mall was absolutely essential in helping us solve this case," Elise Armacost, spokesperson for the Baltimore County Police Department, said.

Neighbors in this area are still wary of what happened.

"You don't really think about the mall being that bad. But I guess it's gotten worse in later years," Mike Notzon, a Towson resident, said.

"I don't know the reason why it happened. But it shouldn't have," said Valerie Adams, Towson resident.

Meanwhile, the victim's family is still coming to grips with the loss.

"It's like I'm walking around with a hole in me, you know what I mean?" said Pridget's father. "I love that boy. Plus, he was my only son. I love him and I miss him. I see his face every night."

Investigators are still trying to determine why the men were targeting the teen.

All four suspects have been charged with first-degree murder and use of a handgun in a felony.

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