A Baltimore firefighter charged in an April shooting told jurors on Oct. 30 that he opened fire only to protect himself and his sister after being threatened and attacked outside a restaurant.
Tyrone Emmanuel White Sr., 43, is charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and firearm use in a felony crime of violence for allegedly shooting a 40-year-old male during a confrontation on the 2400 block of Orleans Street.
White testified before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Bridget Schiffer that the confrontation began when White almost hit the victim in his car, who was standing in the middle of E. Fayette Street. He said the man later approached him in a nearby parking lot outside a crab house where his sister had gone inside to get food.
According to White, the victim cursed at him, circled his car, and repeatedly threatened to harm him.
“Mr. Redmond came around that vehicle to kill me,” White declared, claiming the man showed him a gun tucked in his waistband and struck his sister in the head when she tried to get back in the car.
White told jurors he fired his handgun only after believing the victim was about to draw his weapon, noting that he felt his threats were going to be “substantiated with action.”
He mentioned that his gun was filled with hollow-point defense bullets specifically designed to minimize the risk to bystanders. He added that driving away would have left his sister in danger.
During cross-examination, the prosecutor questioned why White never mentioned seeing the victim with a gun during his police interview, noting that this was the first time he had raised that claim. She also pointed out that his sister, who was interviewed the same day, also did not tell officers the victim had a weapon.
Defense attorney Roland Harris challenged this, arguing that the police failed to ask thorough questions and, as a result, received superficial responses.
A detective from the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) testified that ballistic evidence and blood were recovered from the area, along with damage to a nearby home’s windowpane and wall. He said that three people occupied the residence at the time of the shooting.
A witness told jurors she was sitting in her car in the restaurant parking lot and saw the victim “fussin’ and cussin’” at White for about 15 minutes. She said the victim appeared aggressive, threatened White, and hit a woman later identified as White’s sister.
During closing arguments, the prosecutor told jurors the case stemmed from a verbal altercation that unnecessarily escalated into violence, leaving the victim with a gunshot wound that required four surgeries and two blood transfusions.
“This is not a society of vigilante justice,” she proclaimed, arguing White’s actions were neither reasonable nor justifiable.
Harris countered that White acted in defense of himself and his sister, asserting that White tried to alert nearby police by flashing his headlights before firing and only used his weapon when he believed the victim was about to shoot.
The jury is currently deliberating.
