Attempted Murder Defendant Claims Self-Defense, Alleging Brick Attack

By Erin Kim - March 18, 2024
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

On March 15, the jury heard closing arguments for an attempted murder case before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Cynthia H. Jones. 

Joseph Harris, 38, is charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, firearm use in a felony violent crime, reckless endangerment, having a handgun on his person, discharging a gun in Baltimore City and carrying a gun within 100 yards of a place of public assembly.

As previously reported by Baltimore Witness, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) responded to a shooting on the 200 block of West Baltimore Street on April 18, 2019.

A BPD officer found the victim lying on the sidewalk with six gunshot wounds, allegedly resulting from a physical altercation with the defendant. The victim, said to be drunk, reportedly picked up a brick to fight Harris, grabbing and ripping out eight of Harris’ dreadlocks in the process. According to the defense, Harris shot the victim in self-defense.

During her closing arguments, the assistant state’s attorney recalled how a DNA analyst found that the sample from the dreadlocks found at the crime scene were a likely match to the DNA from the defendant’s oral swab.

The prosecutor also mentioned that four cartridge casings and one fragmented bullet were found at the scene and that they were ejected from the same unknown firearm. Additionally, the assistant state’s attorney exhibited several CCTV videos capturing the altercation, people running away and the defendant running and hiding behind some cars before walking out. 

She questioned the credibility of the Harris’ testimony, saying he had already seen all the evidence before trial and had time to refute it. “I urge you all to not believe Mr. Harris,” the prosecutor said.

The assistant state’s attorney emphasized that the defendant was shooting to kill and stressed the relevance of the attempted  first-degree murder charge, as she claimed that pulling the trigger more than six times to shoot the victim qualified as premeditation. She asserted that this was not self-defense, especially as the deadly force was unreasonable and the defendant did not attempt to retreat.

However, defense attorney Staci Pipkin said that Harris had no other option but to shoot.

She stated that the defendant was not the aggressor, as the victim attacked him first, reasonably believed that he was in immediate and imminent danger of bodily harm, as a blow with a brick could be devastating.

Pipkin said that Harris did not intend to kill the victim that day because when Harris was on top of the victim he begged the victim to let him go. Harris fired a warning shot, which the attorney said was consistent with the fragmented bullet.

Pipkin also stated that the defendant had nowhere to go, as he was held by the back of his head, and that the law did not require him to retreat if doing so was unsafe.

“If [Harris] is a criminal, he’s the worst criminal in the world,” said the defense attorney, referring to Harris leaving his bicycle behind, dropping his gun and leaving his DNA at the scene before hiding behind the Steadman Station Firehouse.

She argued that Harris was charged because the prosecution looked more at his running away than the actions he took in self-defense.