A former Family Dollar employee is now set to stand trial next March after parties appeared in Baltimore City Circuit Court to finalize pre-trial matters on Nov. 21.
Braxton Day, 39, is charged with manslaughter, firearm use in a felony crime of violence, and having a handgun on his person in connection to the March 31 death of Bryant Breland, a 42-year-old Black man and Baltimore resident.
A Baltimore Police officer on morning patrol responded to the scene after hearing gunfire inside the Family Dollar store located on the 600 block of Cherry Hill Road. Upon arrival, the officer located Breland lying on the ground in front of the store, suffering from a critical gunshot wound to his body. Breland was pronounced deceased shortly after at an area hospital.
Area surveillance footage reportedly captured Breland initiating an altercation with Day that quickly escalated. Allegedly, Day was then seen shooting Breland before fleeing the scene. Investigators claim he discarded his gun under a nearby car before hiding his jacket and bag in the cellar area of an area home.
Evidence recovered from the crime scene included four .40-caliber shell casings, three live rounds of the same caliber, and a magazine. Still photographs extracted from area surveillance cameras were shown to several witnesses who later identified a person said to be Day as the shooter.
On July 19, Day reportedly turned himself in to US Marshals after recognizing himself on a wanted list.
Day’s case is now set to be heard on March 10, 2026 before Judge Michael A. DiPietro, with four days allotted for proceedings.
