The 2024 Penn North restaurant attempted murder case continued on Nov. 19, with the victim himself reluctantly took the stand to testify about his recollections of the robbery-turned-shooting.
Defendant LaForrest Morgan, 48, is charged with attempted murder, assault, armed robbery and related gun violations in connection to the incident, which occurred June 28, 2024 at No. 1 Chinese Carryout on the 2400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. He was arrested almost one month later, on July 26, 2024. According to investigators, Morgan attempted to rob the victim of a fanny pack he used to sell marijuana. When a “tussle” broke out between the pair, Morgan reportedly shot the victim twice and walked out of the restaurant.
During questioning, the victim admitted his initial disinterest in testifying at trial, noting he only ceded his cooperation due to a subpoena submitted by the state’s attorney. He denied any concerns about testifying against Morgan.
Area surveillance cameras apparently captured the victim and Morgan entering the restaurant minutes before 9 p.m. The victim, who uses the nickname “Onion” and was guilty of a narcotics chargein 2023, told jurors he entered the store to buy food, planning to pay with the cash he obtained from his sales. While he was waiting for his food, he recalled someone pulling out a gun and telling him, “Don’t move,” before shooting him twice.
Though he denied remembering who shot him, what the shooter looked like, or what he told officers when they arrived to interview him at an area hospital, counsel noted he was able to provide a description during his initial interview. Later, he claimed he passed out en route to the hospital. Detectives confirmed on the stand that the restaurant’s interior was bare of security cameras, meaning investigators were unable to obtain footage of the shooting itself.
Shortly after, the victim was captured crawling up the steps of the restaurant. He recalled calling out to others in the area for help and telling a nearby person he was shot. That person reportedly helped him into a vehicle and accompanied him to an area hospital for treatment.
The woman, a regular of the restaurant and a lifelong resident of the neighborhood, told jurors she came to the victim’s aid because he “just asked me to help him.” She recalled the victim “kept going to sleep” on the way to the hospital, but denied remembering whether she saw blood or suspects at the scene or heard any commotion. At the hospital, she said hostility from the victim’s family prompted her to leave.
“They thought I had something to do with it,” she told counsel. “Onion’s family threatened me, so I didn’t stay at the hospital.”
The case’s lead detective noted that when asked, the eyewitness was able to positively identify Morgan in footage from nearby Baltimore CitiWatch cameras. On the stand, neither she nor the victim seemed able to recall the descriptions they provided detectives. Allegedly, both had initially described the suspect as a sort of “old head” — or older man — with a “bushy” beard.
During a brief recess in proceedings, counsel attempted to refresh the victim’s memory by showing him footage of his initial interview with investigators, and continued to press him on the descriptions and statements he gave that day. When the prosecutor asked if he recalled the shooter’s appearance when he first spoke to police, he responded, “It sounds like I did.”
Proceedings are expected to wrap on Nov. 20 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey M. Geller.
