Detective Never Filed Report About Victim’s Recanted Statement

By Andrew Michaels - November 10, 2021
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A Baltimore Police Department lead detective admitted to not filing a report about a meeting with a shooting victim who allegedly attempted to recant his statement about the identity of the shooter.

The lead detective was among five witnesses to testify on Nov. 9 in the attempted homicide trial of 31-year-old Keith Johnson, who is facing attempted murder, assault, home invasion, armed robbery, robbery, burglary, and multiple firearms charges.

Johnson is alleged to have shot the 32-year-old victim around 11:50 a.m. on April 17 in an alleyway near the Mondawmin Mall on the 3000 block of Tioga Parkway.

During his testimony on Tuesday afternoon, the detective, who is an eight-year veteran with the police department, said he responded to the scene and saw a blood trail that started in the alleyway and ended at a Family Dollar store on the 2500 block of Gwynns Falls Parkway—the path taken by the victim after he was shot.

Johnson was identified as a suspect the day of the shooting, said the detective, who then compiled the photographs used in the photo array. The detective also searched the crime scene on April 18. Three shell casings were found.

The detective told the prosecutor that he never received any emails, phone calls, text messages, or other messages from the victim, who previously testified that he tried contacting the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office and the Baltimore Police Department multiple times over a three-day period. However, the detective said he did receive the victim’s letter, which recanted his claims that Johnson was the shooter.

When defense attorney Tony Garcia asked about his meeting with the victim, the detective said the victim did say that Johnson was not the shooter. Garcia also questioned whether a report was filed about their meeting, but the detective said he didn’t file a report but believed he had.

During cross-examination, the detective also said he never had any officers or crime lab technicians search the victim’s apartment or Johnson’s home for evidence related to the shooting.  He also noted that he attempted to find the victim’s girlfriend—Johnson’s sister—who allegedly set up the drug deal, but he never followed up after one attempt.

“My main priority was to find the shooter,” the detective said, adding that there was never an investigation into the alleged second man who accompanied Johnson.

Despite the victim’s claims that the actual shooter was a man by the street name, “Horse,” the detective testified that he reached out to the department’s narcotics unit that is “good at what they do” and they never heard of such a person.

“I don’t believe Mr. Horse to be a real person,” he said.

The detective added that “something happened” with the crime lab, which was why ballistics weren’t run on the recovered shell casings and that no video surveillance cameras were in the area.

At the conclusion of the detective’s testimony, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer informed the jury that closing arguments were scheduled for Nov. 10.