Cathy Brown

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D): FlickrOn the dawn of the start of the Democratic National Convention, Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown will be returning home in light of a personal tragedy involving the death of his cousin, Cathy Brown.

"Shortly after arriving in Denver yesterday afternoon, I learned that my first cousin, Cathy Brown, was killed at her home in Gaithersburg," Brown said in a statement. "I will be traveling back to Maryland immediately to be with my family during this difficult time. I leave my fellow delegates with a heavy heart and I ask that everyone keep my family in their prayers."

According to WTOP, Montgomery County police say that when they arrived at Ms. Brown's Gaithersburg home, she was being threatened by an armed Michael Keith Wilson, a 44 year-old man who she worked with at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.

"Officers were speaking with Wilson to calm the situation when shots went off. Wilson and Brown died at the scene," the WTOP report says.

The officers involved were placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues.