A 33-year-old Baltimore man pleaded guilty to possessing a gun although prohibited due to a previous conviction in connection to a non-fatal shooting inside his apartment in January 2024.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey M. Geller presided over Deonte Anthony Simms’ plea on Oct. 27 when the prosecutor offered the defendant to serve five years without the possibility of parole in exchange for pleading guilty to the weapons charge. Defense attorney Michael Tomko represented Simms in this case.
The remaining eight charges against Simms, including possessing firearms with previous drug convictions and discharging a firearm in Baltimore City, were dismissed by the prosecution as part of the plea agreement.
According to court documents, Baltimore Police were called to the 2200 block of Park Avenue in Downtown Baltimore on Jan. 28, 2024, after the defendant’s neighbor repeatedly called 911 to report a shooting inside Simms’ apartment. The caller reported hearing screaming and yelling coming from the defendant’s apartment and said Simms was having a mental health crisis.
Although the defendant initially filed a plea of not criminally responsible (NCR) earlier this year, this was withdrawn on June 4 following the Maryland Department of Health’s report of Simms’ competency to stand trial in mental health court.
Charging documents state SWAT was at the scene when police arrived. A maintenance man showed police a suspected bullet hole in the front door of Simms’ apartment, which appeared as if the gun was fired from inside. Simms initially yelled for help and asked police to come inside, but refused to open the door, saying he “wanted to speak with the real police.”
During the incident, SWAT contacted Simms by phone and convinced him to open the door, leading to his arrest. Police later recovered multiple guns and ammunition from the apartment in addition to finding a projectile in another neighbor’s doorframe.
No injuries were reported.
