Eric Jurado-Reyes, who was 16 at the time of a Jan. 31, shooting inside a Baltimore City Smoke shop, accepted a plea agreement to serve five years in prison for his role in an incident that left two men wounded
On Oct. 19, Jurado-Reyes, now 17, appeared before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge John Addison Howard. The prosecutor outlined the agreement, which includes a guilty plea to count one, first-degree assault and count two, use of a firearm in a crime of violence.
Under the agreement Jurado-Reyes will receive 20 years for count one, all but five years suspended, without the possibility of parole. A separate five year mandatory minimum sentence for count two will run concurrently with count one.
This agreement also requires Jurado-Reyes to have no contact with the victims or their families and to stay away from Euphoria Smoke Shop, located on the 4100 block of Eastern Ave., where the shooting occurred. Upon release, he must serve five years of supervised probation and register with the Gun Offender Registry Act (GORA).
Juardo-Reyes was charged as an adult after Judge Jennifer Schiffer declined to transfer his case to juvenile jurisdiction.
According to the statement of charges, Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers were patrolling the area of Eastern Avenue and South Haven Street at approximately 10:26 pm on Jan. 31, when they observed multiple people and vehicles leaving The 4100 block of Eastern Avenue in a rush.
Officers entered the Euphoria Smoke shop and found two gunshot victims, one with an injury to their left arm, another with an injury to their right hand. Both victims were transported to a nearby hospital.
Investigators described the business as being in disarray, with broken glass, blood splatter and merchandise scattered throughout the business. Two other victims were located in connection to this incident, one with minor injuries another with blunt force trauma to the head after allegedly being hit with a barbed baseball bat.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage and discovered at approximately 10:20 pm, four individuals entered the store, around 10:24 PM a fight broke out among the group.
At one point, Jurado-Reyes produced a handgun. He initially held the weapon, not pointing it towards anyone but a shooting injured one victim in the leg.
Investigators allege that Jurado-Reyes ran toward the exit while firing the handgun, which is how both victims sustained their injuries.
The court also heard that the victims, both Spanish-speaking, did not wish to testify. According to the prosecutor, they had communicated their wish to do so to a victim-witness interpreter, stating that one victim has experienced permanent damage to his hand after Jurado-Reyes’ bullet punctured his hand. The other victim required a tourniquet to suppress the bleeding to a bicep. Both victims want no further contact with Jurado-Reyes.
Defense Attorney Judit Otvos accepted the plea deal on behalf of her client who will receive credit for h time served from February 24.
