Attempted Homicide Defendant Takes 12-Year Plea for Drive-By Shooting in Central Baltimore

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A 28-year-old Baltimore man was sentenced to 12 years in prison on May 13 after accepting a plea offer for a drive-by shooting in Central Baltimore last year.

Larry Sparrow and his defense attorneys, Janet Andersen and Robert Cohen, appeared before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock on Monday for a scheduled jury trial. Following a private discussion, the court offered Sparrow a plea of 12 years for attempted first-degree murder and a concurrent five years without parole for firearm use in a felony or violent crime for an incident on July 10, 2023.

The defendant was previously facing additional attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and weapons charges in connection to the shooting.

According to the prosecution, Sparrow was driving a green Chevy Equinox at the intersection of North Caroline Street and East Fairmount Avenue, where he fired multiple shots at the victim and the victim’s friends, one of which grazed the victim’s stomach. Baltimore Police Department (BPD) detectives used the city’s license plate reading system to identified the vehicle, which was registered to Sparrow’s parents.

An analysis of Sparrow’s cell phone placed the defendant in the area at the time of the shooting, the prosecutor said.

Five days later, police saw the vehicle, conducted a traffic stop and arrested Sparrow. The alleged gun was found on the defendant at the time of his arrest as well as shell casings inside the vehicle. The prosecutor said the defendant’s text messages revealed he was driving around the area to find the person who robbed his friend.

“No matter how hard your life is, it’s important to stay on the right track,” Judge Murdock told Sparrow before imposing the sentence.

The judge also recommended the defendant earn his GED while incarcerated.