A jury acquitted Derrell Goines, 36, of the first-degree murder of Alvin Raymond Henry Jr., 35, and felony firearm use on Sept. 11.
Goines was initially accused of shooting Henry in the head and chest on March 2, 2024 after a dispute at a birthday party on the 1400 block of E. Biddle Street. Though officers performed life-saving measures on Henry, he was pronounced dead at Johns Hopkins Hospital later that day.
Henry allegedly pointed a gun at Goines, who retaliated by firing at least five times from his own weapon.
Goines was observed on scene approximately ten minutes after the incident. An officers body-worn cameras then captured a man believed to be Goines walking away from the scene.
A Ruger 9mm pistol was recovered from a patch of grass near the scene. The weapon Goines was believed to have used was later found in his 2017 Black Acura MDX, which was also at the scene.
Defense attorney Robert D. Cole Jr. described Goines as a licensed firearm owner, youth counselor, and community member with no criminal record. Cole claimed Goines acted in self-defense and described Henry as irrational, intoxicated, and armed.
Jurors reached their verdict following three days of testimony before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lynn Stewart Mays.
