Closing Statements Given in Double Attempted Murder Trial

By Jordan Fortuna [former] - November 9, 2023
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

On Nov. 8, the assistant state’s attorney and defense attorney James Sweeting III gave closing statements before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer in the attempted murder trial of Derrien Gamble.

Gamble, 20, is charged with 39 counts, including multiple counts of attempted first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first- and second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and numerous weapons charges in connection to the non-fatal shooting of two victims on Feb. 4. 

At the start of his closing argument, the assistant state’s attorney said that the defendant’s actions were “willful, deliberate and premeditated.” He called the attack on the victims “a coordinated ambush.” 

According to the assistant state’s attorney, the defendant and two other assailants waited for the victims to arrive home following a family game night they attacked.

On the scene there were “over 30 9mm rounds” found. The victim’s car was “bullet-riddled.” One of the victims suffered only graze wounds, but the other one was treated in the hospital for what the prosecution called “a long time.” 

To connect Gamble with the crime, the prosecution’s case hinged on one of the victim’s testimony. In court, nine months after the crime, she again identified Gamble as the suspect who allegedly attacked her and her son.

After being arrested on Feb. 14, Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers allegedly found a 9mm handgun with Gamble’s fingerprints on it and an extended magazine that also had his fingerprints on it. During police questioning, Gamble said he didn’t know who the victims were and that he was home smoking marijuana and playing the Call Of Duty video game all day. Witnesses from Gamble’s family testified Gamble was at a Golden Corral restaurant for a family outing the day of the incident.

Sweeting began by saying this was “a case of misidentification” and that “misidentifications happen.” He said that because the incident was only 15 seconds long and happened at night, he doubted that a fearful victim could make a reliable identification. To that end, he pointed out that the victim didn’t give a description of the suspect’s height, build and hair. Further, he explained that the victim wrongfully identified the gun as an “assault weapon,” but the surveillance footage showed that it was a handgun with an extended magazine.

Regarding the gun and magazine found in the AirBnb where his client was arrested, Sweeting said, “There are tens of thousands of 9mm handguns on the streets of Baltimore,” and the gun could’ve belonged to anyone. 

According to documents from the District Court of Maryland, BPD officers responded to the scene on the 1500 block of Medford Road, where they found two victims suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. There were 38 9mm casings and two .40 caliber casings recovered. Gamble was identified through a photo array shown to one of the victims.