Defendant Ditched Gun After Shooting at Hit-and-Run Driver, Prosecutor Says

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A 34-year-old Baltimore man accused of firing a gun at a hit-and-run driver last April allegedly attempted to cover up the shooting by stashing his gun in some bushes while law enforcement was at the scene.

At the start of trial on March 5, the prosecutor laid out the details of what he said began as a road rage incident on April 9, 2023 on the 3100 block of South Hanover Street. Defendant Andre Brisbon was standing on the side of the road and attempting to flag down law enforcement after his significant other’s 2007 Volkswagen Passat broke down.

When an officer with the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) arrived, the prosecutor said, Brisbon allegedly told the officer that another vehicle crashed into their Passat with his significant other and a child inside and then drove off.

A short time later, a Baltimore Police Department [BPD] officer found a 2005 Chevy Malibu near South Hanover and East Cromwell streets, where a couple said they accidentally hit a car in the road, but drove away when a man pulled out a gun and fired it at them.

A suspected bullet hole was seen in the Malibu’s rear window, court documents state.

The prosecutor also said the MDTA officer saw Brisbon walk up the 3000 block of South Hanover Street, cross Reedbird Avenue and reach into some bushes before returning to his vehicle. When police searched the bushes, they found a gun, which they believed was consistent with the spent .40 caliber shell casing found near Brisbon’s vehicle.

“If someone has wronged you, that doesn’t mean you get to take matters into your own hands and shoot at them…” the prosecutor said.

Defense attorney David Shapiro suggested the jury divert their attention toward the alleged victims—the same victims, he claimed, who were seen taking the license plates off of their vehicle and walking away after the incident.

“When you should be concerned is when you don’t see all of the pieces [to the puzzle],” Shapiro said, also referring to the lack of fingerprints, DNA and gun powder residue.

Through evidence, he continued, jurors should expect to hear one of the victims tell police that more than one person shot at them.

Testimony began Tuesday morning and is expected to continue on March 6 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea M. Handy.

Brisbon is currently charged with two counts of attempted second-degree murder and first and second-degree assault in addition to reckless endangerment, firearm use in a felony or violent crime, firearm possession with a felony conviction, illegal possession of a firearm, having a handgun on his person, having a loaded handgun in a vehicle, having a gun within 100 yards of a public place, firing a gun in Baltimore City and illegal possession of ammunition.