Testimony Reveals More about 2023 Drug-Related Shooting Case

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The attempted murder trial of 33-year-old Kimani Johnson began this week before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Cynthia H. Jones, with witnesses providing testimony that included new details. Defense attorney Roland Harris represents Johnson.

Initial coverage explained that a man with gunshot wounds approached police on North Mount Street on June 16, 2023. The victim reportedly said the incident started on North Fulton Avenue after two men asked him and another man if they “liked to party.” What was apparently missing in that account came out in court when a witness testified about what led up to the shooting.

During proceedings, a witness testified that he and his companion had driven from Annapolis into West Baltimore to meet an acquaintance that night. While parked near West Baltimore Street and Fulton Avenue, two men approached the car. One asked, “Do you like to party?”

The witness said he understood the question referred to drugs. He answered that he sometimes did. When he declined to buy anything, the man offered to give him a phone number. As the witness reached for his iPad to write the number down, he realized a gun was pressed against his neck.

The prosecution said the gunman demanded money, moved the weapon to the witness’ head, and told him to “run his pockets.” Seconds later, a gunshot went off, and the men ran from the vehicle. The witness testified that he then saw his companion had been shot. He later identified Johnson as the alleged shooter in a police photographic array and wrote, “I recognize the individual as the shooter in my case.”

Harris focused on apparent inconsistencies in the witness’ account. At trial, the witness admitted that he had gone to Baltimore to obtain Suboxone, a narcotic, from his acquaintance, although he previously told detectives he was only there to see her. The defense pointed to this as a credibility challenge, along with conflicting statements about whether he had stopped at a traffic light or pulled over to the curb.

The defense also scrutinized the witness’ identification of Johnson. They argued he could not be certain the men he had seen earlier on the street were the same ones who later came to his car. They noted that the incident happened on a Friday evening in a busy area, yet no one else reported hearing shots. The defense further questioned why police never took the witness back to the scene to confirm the exact location of the incident.

The trial continues this week as both sides present evidence from the shooting.