1 shot dead, 3 wounded late Tuesday

One person was killed and three were wounded late Tuesday night in a shooting in the Hillcrest Heights/Marlow Heights area of Prince George's County, police said.

Tuesday night's violence followed three killings in Prince George's earlier in the day. In two of those cases, duct tape was placed over the victims' mouths. And there was one other slaying in the county so far in 2011, on Jan. 1.

The most recent shootings occurred at 11:43 p.m. Tuesday in the 4000 block of Norcross Street, said Cpl. Erica Johnson, a county police spokeswoman. One person was found dead at the scene, she said. Three other people were taken to hospitals. Their conditions could not be immediately learned.

"This is a tough way to start 2011," said Maj. Andrew Ellis, the public affairs commander for the county police department. Ellis spoke before the violence late Tuesday.