Grasonville Man to Serve 5 Years for Ewing Pond Shooting

Queen Anne's County, MD - On October 30, 2025, the Queen Anne's County Office of the Sheriff responded to the University of Maryland Shore Emergency Center, Queenstown, MD for people hurt in a drive-by shooting. Almost a year later, the man responsible is headed to prison.

Deputies soon learned the shooting did not happen at the hospital. It happened at Ewing Pond Park in Grasonville, Maryland, where two people were inside their car.

Another car pulled up next to them, and someone in it started shooting. One of the two people was later taken to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Their injury was not life-threatening.

As detectives worked the case, they named Zion Cook, 29, of Grasonville as the shooter. They also found out that Cook was related to one of the people in the car.

The sheriff's Criminal Investigations Unit filed a long list of charges against him. Cook faced two counts each of attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment. He was also charged with use of a firearm in the commission of a felony violent crime and possession of a loaded handgun.

Cook was not in custody for several months after the shooting. That changed in April 2026, when the Maryland State Police State Apprehension Team found him and arrested him.

On September 18, 2026, Cook pleaded guilty to first-degree assault. His sentence was 25 years in prison, with all but five years suspended.

Put simply, Cook will serve five years. He was also sentenced for reckless endangerment, but that sentence was fully suspended.

Once he is released, Cook will be on probation for five years. The sheriff's office said the time he will serve falls within the Maryland Sentencing Guidelines recommendation for the felony assault.

Sheriff Gary Hofmann shared a statement on the case. He spoke about the danger of using guns to settle disputes and thanked his investigators for their work.

"This case is a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of gun violence and the danger created when individuals choose to resolve disputes with firearms. Our investigators worked diligently to identify the person responsible and ensure accountability for this senseless act. We are grateful that the victims survived this incident, and we remain committed to pursuing justice and holding violent offenders accountable in Queen Anne's County," said Sheriff Gary Hofmann.