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By
Caroline Sutley
- February 26, 2025
Court
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Daily Stories
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Non-Fatal Shooting
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Shooting
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During a disposition hearing on Feb. 26, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lawrence P. Fletcher-Hill granted 39-year-old Kenneth Ellis probation in connection to a non-fatal shooting.
On Nov. 17, 2023, two tow truck employees reported Ellis to the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) after an argument that escalated when Ellis fired three gunshots into the air. Ellis hired the tow truck to deliver his car to his residence but became enraged after noticing one of the car’s tires had been damaged. That prompted Ellis to fire the shots, and he was found guilty of first-degree assault and having a loaded handgun on his person.
After taking a guilty plea and serving approximately 14 months of home detention, Ellis requested the court consider his complete release. Defense attorney Robert Cole noted that he had already served a significant amount of time and Ellis only has seven months left in his sentence. Meanwhile, a parole hearing cannot be scheduled for defendants with less than a year left of detention.
Cole emphasized that Ellis is not a threat to society and presented a certificate of Ellis’s successful completion of anger management classes. Despite his legal issues, Ellis has remained employed by Baltimore City.
Cole said that one month before Ellis’ disposition hearing, his 15-year-old son had suffered an injury, which led to a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation and caused the teenager’s mother to lose custody. This situation prompted the defense’s request to reintegrate Ellis back into the community.
Judge Fletcher-Hill asked about the son’s current living situation, to which Ellis replied that the son is staying with Ellis’s mother. He expressed concerns about moving his son back into his own home, citing fear of retaliation given the mother’s ongoing CPS case.
Ellis said he plans to file a motion for custody of his son, as well as for his 9-year-old son who remains in the mother’s custody.
“Me as a father, I have to do what I have to do,” he said.
Judge Fletcher-Hill remarked, “What stands out about you is you’re still working and taking care of the kids, yet abiding to home detention.” He allowed Ellis to leave home detention to attend necessary appointments for his children.
Judge Fletcher-Hill recommended three years of supervised probation, as Ellis has already fulfilled the condition of completing anger management classes.
Ellis was ordered to report to BPD to sign under the Gun Offenders Registry. His probation officially began following the conclusion of the disposition hearing.