Nepali Refugee Accepts Plea, Time Served in 2022 Canton Non-Fatal Shooting

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On July 13, a defendant charged in an assault case accepted a guilty plea in connection to a 2022 dispute and non-fatal shooting outside of Good Vibes restaurant in Canton.

Defendant Rooney Poudyel pleaded guilty before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Ronald A. Silkworth on Thursday to second-degree assault with a sentence of time served and four years of supervised probation.

Poudyel is also required to stay away from the victims and the scene of the crime. The prosecutor assigned to the case dismissed all other charges, which had included first- and second-degree attempted murder.

According to the assistant state’s attorney assigned to the case, Poudyel joined a table with nine other men at Good Vibes restaurant on the 2900 block of O’Donnell Street, because they were speaking his native language. The victim said something insensitive about Poudyel’s ethnic group and a verbal argument broke out between the men, which soon became physical.

Surveillance footage later showed the defendant chasing the victim and raising a gun. The shooting itself occurred off-camera. Police discovered the victim with a minor gunshot wound in the elbow area.

In defense attorney Patrick Seidel’s retelling, the group was extremely inebriated and that was the cause of the violent escalation. He said the other men had held Poudyel down while the victim punched him in the face repeatedly. He also claimed the victim was so drunk that when police responded to the scene, he didn’t know he had been shot at all.

Seidel went on to explain the adversity Poudyel has overcome in his life. Despite being expelled from two different countries and living in refugee camps for much of his life, Poudyel managed to attain higher education, immigrate to the United States and become a business owner. With no previous criminal record, he bought the handgun used in the shooting to protect his business, a liquor store with an extensive history of robberies.

Due to the totality of the circumstances and Poudyel’s concerns over finding gainful employment with his newfound criminal record, Judge Silkworth indicated he would grant probation before judgment after his probation is completed.

Poudyel forfeited his gun to police. He served 350 days in jail for the shooting.