On Oct. 8, closing arguments were presented in the case of Anthony Shearin, 27, accused of shooting at a man six times and hitting him once. He claimed he was acting in self-defense as well as that of his family from a person trying to break into his apartment.
After the prosecution asked the jury to consider the shooting and disregard the context, defense counsel LaToya Francis-Williams responded in her closing argument that doing so would be “like trying to erase your DNA.”
Earlier, the prosecutor questioned hypothetically, “Is shooting someone six to eight times while they are running away, attempted murder?”
The proceedings were heard before Baltimore City Circuit Court before Judge John A. Howard in a courtroom packed with the defendant’s friends and family.
He is charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted first-degree assault, illegal use of a firearm in the commission of a violent felony, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm within city limits for an incident that occurred on April 19 on the 1600 Block of E. Eager Street.
Surveillance video revisited during defense counsel’s closing arguments showed the victim, who the prosecution earlier admitted was “not a model citizen,” and “sketchy,” repeatedly approaching the defendant’s apartment window. She asked the jury to note “How long he was outside my client’s home?”
Footage showed a person said to be the victim repeatedly coming back to the defendant’s home, even after the defendant allegedly pointed his unloaded gun at him from behind the window–that was the first time he attempted to get the victim to leave. The victim, who did not testify, was not dissuaded by the defendant’s angry words and reportedly brandishing a firearm.
Only after the defendant followed him outside, allegedly firing once, did the victim run away. Still, Shearin reportedly followed the victim and fired at him multiple times.
According to charging documents, the victim claimed that he was trying to visit his child’s mother that evening, who lived near the defendant’s home. Police discovered that he was wanted for allegedly assaulting her the previous day, April 19.
The defendant testified that there was bad blood between him and another man who was dating one of his fiance’s girlfriends.
Allegedly, the defendant was being threatened over a debt incurred for a communal baby shower.
The defendant stated he was afraid that this individual was “going to do something to us,” and that he “knew where we lived, knew our schedule.” He claimed that he “believed that it could have been him,” that night.
According to the defendant, he was sitting at home with his fiance, waiting for his stepchildren to be dropped off by their father when he saw a man, later identified as the victim, approaching his window and allegedly rattle the window and locks. He testified that he felt he needed to “protect his family.”
Deliberations were expected to start late on Oct 8th and continue to Oct 9.
