Counsel Give Closing Arguments in Shooting That Left Victim Partially Blind

Thank you for reading Baltimore Witness. Help us continue our mission into 2024.

The prosecution and defense wrapped up their cases by giving conflicting accounts as to what happened in the moments leading up to a man’s being shot in the face in closing arguments on July 19.

Terrell Parker, 27, is charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, firearm use in a felony violent crime, reckless endangerment, two counts of illegal possession of a regulated firearm, having a loaded handgun on his person, having a handgun on his person, illegal possession of ammunition and discharging a firearm within Baltimore City in connection to an incident on April 13, 2023, that took place on the 1700 block of Normal Avenue.

The prosecution began by stating a woman that Parker was pursuing went to dinner with the victim. Though the prosecutor claimed the victim and the woman were not romantically involved with each other, an altercation broke out resulting in Parker’s allegedly shooting the victim in the face leaving him partially blind.

“Terrell had the intent to kill,” said the prosecutor, adding that he had made prior threats to the victim and the woman, establishing the premeditation needed for a guilty attempted first-degree murder verdict.

Defense attorney Donald Wright argued that the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) was immediately given a name upon arriving on the scene, and after conducting a photo array with multiple witnesses that yielded both positive and negative outcomes, investigators focused solely on Parker. Wright even called the credibility of the BPD into question, saying investigators violated policy and stating that this was a “failed investigation.”

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Troy K. Hill instructed the jury to begin deliberating on July 19.