A Baltimore City jury delivered a mixed verdict against Bernard Hopkins, 23, involving a non-fatal shooting that left a police officer injured before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Alan Lazerow on July 28.
Hopkins was found guilty of illegal possession of ammunition, minor possession of a firearm, reckless endangerment, and violating a final protective order. However, he was acquitted of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault. A count of illegal possession of a regulated firearm and discharging a firearm were later dismissed. The jury could not render a verdict for the firearm use in a felony or violent crime indictment.
Prosecutors said officers responded to Hopkins’ mother’s home after allegedly learning he was there in violation of a protective order in connection to a Sept. 30, 2022 incident on E. Chase Street.
While officers attempted to detain him, he reportedly resisted, leading to a chaotic struggle during which a gun discharged and struck an officer in the thigh. The prosecution presented body‑camera footage to the jury and argued officers did not know Hopkins had a gun in his pocket until the shot was fired.
Defense attorneys Benjamin Charlton and Meredith Johnston countered with recorded interviews from two officers involved in the incident who both said they never saw a gun in Hopkins’ hands and another who said he only saw the outline of a firearm through Hopkins’ clothing.
The defense argued the shooting was an accident that occurred during a mental health crisis. Furthermore, the defense emphasized Hopkins’ bipolar disorder and violent mood swings, maintaining he did not intend to harm the officer and was unaware the gun had fired, asserting that “things fall apart” when unprepared officers escalate a mental health crisis with physical force.
Hopkins is scheduled for sentencing on Oct, 8.
