Acquitted: Man Acquitted of Allegedly Shooting at Ex Over His New Girlfriend

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

A Baltimore man has been acquitted of attempted murder charges following accusations that he shot at the mother of his child over an argument about his new girlfriend.

On Aug. 30, a jury found Davon Coleman not guilty of attempted first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, having a handgun on his person, having a loaded handgun on his person and reckless endangerment. A charge of firearm use in a felony or violent crime was dismissed.

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Yolanda A. Tanner granted a motion for judgment of acquittal for firearm possession with a felony conviction, illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, having a handgun in a vehicle and having a loaded handgun in a vehicle on Aug. 29.

According to the prosecution, Coleman’s ex grew “jealous and angry” of his relationship with a new woman. On Sept. 22, 2021, the defendant told the victim that she could meet his girlfriend and talk on the 1700 block of Cliftview Avenue. However, when the victim arrived, she was met with gunfire.

“He did not bring that woman,” the prosecutor said, referring to Coleman’s new girlfriend. “He brought a gun.”

The defendant and the victim had reportedly known each other for about 10 years and shared a son together, she explained. When asked how she knew it was Coleman who fired a gun at her vehicle, the victim testified that she could still see him even though it was dark.

The victim had no other reason to be in that area given she lived in Baltimore County, the prosecutor concluded.

Defense attorney Augustine Okeke, who represented Coleman, argued that the Darley Park neighborhood where the shooting occurred was a bad area. He also questioned why neither the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) nor the Baltimore County Police assessed the alleged crime scene.