Shortly after attorneys delivered opening statements and the prosecution began their case against 20-year old Zyaire Bowman on Feb. 10, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea M. Handy entered a judgment of acquittal on the defendant’s four firearm charges.
Bowman was initially charged with having a loaded handgun on his person and firing it during a supposed armed robbery attempt that unfolded over a year ago outside a residence on the 1300 block of N. Stockton Street. He was also charged with possessing a firearm as a minor, as he was 18 years old at the time of the incident.
Charging documents state that on the evening of Sept. 9, 2024, a group of young men approached Bowman and his acquaintances, ordering, “Don’t nobody move,” and commanding them to “run [their] pockets.” One of the aggressors reportedly struck Bowman’s friend in the face, leading the defendant to open fire “in self-defense.”
Bowman and his acquaintances reporredly fled the scene on dirt bikes. Several victims were transported to hospital in the aftermath of the shooting, including one who was listed in critical but stable condition.
Investigators later recovered five spent shell casings from the scene, as well as footage from Ring doorbell cameras and CCTVs that captured the events leading up to the discharging. Multiple witnesses provided testimony, including one who alleged that the shooting followed a fistfight. One of the men in Bowman’s group reportedly resided at the home where the shooting occurred.
