All Charges Dismissed in Case of Man Accused of Fatally Shooting Girlfriend’s Ex

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

Donate Now

The case of a 21-year-old man charged with a fatal shooting nearly two years ago was dismissed on May 23 after the prosecution was unable to find its witness.

Charles Christopher Mickens was facing charges of second-degree murder and firearm use during a felony violent crime for a fatal shooting on the 4000 block of Ayrdale Avenue on June 7, 2020.

Originally scheduled for trial on Monday, the prosecution appeared before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gregory Sampson to request a postponement as she believed a witness—specifically, the defendant’s girlfriend—to be in Baltimore City but had not yet found her. The case was sent to Judge Melissa M. Phinn who declined the postponement and then sent it to Judge Barry G. Williams where the case was dismissed.

Defense attorney Tony Garcia told Baltimore Witness that his client left a store when his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend began beating him. When the ex-boyfriend started choking the defendant’s girlfriend, she broke free and ran around a car to escape.

Mickens thought his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend was going to kill her, Garcia said, so he pulled out a handgun and shot him.

Garcia said he planned to argue that the shooting was done in self-defense.

According to charging documents, the victim, later identified as Terrico McCain, ran away after he was shot in the back and then collapsed on the 3700 block of Boarman Avenue. Officers with the Baltimore Police Department were called to the scene and found a key fob in McCain’s pocket and later the Nissan Altima the fob belonged to that was still running on Ayrdale Avenue.

The defendant’s girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend were arguing prior to the altercation, according to charging documents.

Mickens has no prior convictions, according to the Maryland Judiciary website.

Notifications are not yet available for this specific case. Please check back later for updates. Thank you.