Mark Ryan Allegedly Threatened Wife Day Before Phoenix Shooting:"You're Lucky I Cannot Find the [Gun Safe] Key"

Mark Ryan's wife applied for a protective order against him at 9:28 a.m. Saturday. By 2:30 p.m., he had shot and killed her father, according to Baltimore County police.

Ryan’s wife, Alexandra Ryan, wrote in her application for a protective order that “he hit me [with a] closed fist on the left side of my head (temple). He then stated he would ‘handle this a different way’ and went for the key to our gun safe. At that time I fled the property and heard him say, ‘You’re lucky I cannot find the key,’ or something like that.”

Police have said the domestic dispute happened Friday and Ryan’s wife had fled to her parents’ home where their two children were staying. Her father went with her the following morning to request a protective order.

The petition, filed in Harford County, sought to have Ryan ordered to stay away from his wife, their home on Deadora Drive in Bel Air, and her place of work.

She also asked the court to grant her custody of their two children and the family dog, according to court records. Ryan was scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Ryan, 41, was arrested around 2:30 p.m. at his in-laws' home on Sawmill Court in Phoenix after  allegedly shooting and killing 74-year-old Robert MacMeekin, a Timonium attorney. 

Police say Ryan admitted shooting his father-in-law and said he was angry about the protective order and being kept from his children. 

He is charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.

Alexandra Ryan also wrote in the court paperwork that he previously “has kicked all parts of my body except my face when he was angry about something.” She wrote that she believed the incident happened in the spring of 2024.

Court documents indicate Ryan worked remotely from home for Traveler’s Insurance as a software developer. Court records show that a family member sought a protective order against him in 2003 but withdrew the request three days later.

Ryan had a court hearing in district court in Towson Monday afternoon where Judge Lisa Phelps ordered him to be held without bond at the Baltimore County Detention Center, according to court records.

Attorney Richard Karceski entered his appearance on Ryan’s behalf for the bail review. Ryan’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 29.