Armed Carjacking Easily Could Have Been Murder, Says Prosecution

By Sage Cho - December 20, 2024
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting |

Counsel in the attempted murder trial of Antionne Johnson presented closing statements before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Levi S. Zaslow on Dec. 20.

Johnson, 33, is charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault, armed carjacking and various related weapons charges. The charges come from two separate incidents on May 4, 2022. At approximately 11:05 a.m., Johnson allegedly shot and injured a 26-year-old man on the 2400 block of Greenmount Avenue. During the altercation, Johnson was also shot under his left armpit and began to bleed onto his white tank top. Shortly after, he allegedly used a gun to attempt to carjack a man’s Acura MDX at the drive-thru of a McDonald’s on the 2000 block of North Broadway. 

Johnson was arrested the same day at his family’s home on the 2800 block of East Federal Street, where investigators also recovered a handgun and a bloody shirt. DNA samples taken from the recovered items were analyzed alongside Johnson’s and produced a likelihood ratio of 29.7 billion that the defendant’s DNA was on the evidence. 

Johnson’s defense attorney, Roland Harris, raised the possibility that Johnson’s DNA could have settled on the gun as a result of DNA transfer. He also expressed doubt about the investigators’ DNA analysis methods, telling the court that “a computer told them this.” The prosecution rejected both suggestions.

“Not a handgun was found, but the handgun,” the prosecution said. Six cartridges were also recovered that were later identified as having been fired from the same gun. 

Harris asked the jury to reconsider Johnson’s attempted first-degree assault charge. In order to prove the charge, the victim must have sustained serious physical injury, which Harris said requires “a substantial risk of death of deformation.” He also noted that the victim was shot in the arms, legs and feet, but not in critical locations, and seemed relatively unharmed considering that he discharged himself early from the hospital.

The prosecution rebutted, saying that the victim was lucky to have avoided serious harm and that Johnson could have easily faced a heavier charge.

“If the defendant had shot one shot and it missed, he would have been charged with attempted murder,” the prosecution said, calling the matter “senselessness.”

The jury continues to deliberate.