Jury Renders Guilty Verdict in a Homicide

By Breanna Pompey - January 17, 2024
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A jury found Damian Palmer guilty of attempted first degree murder on Jan. 16 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge John A. Howard.

The prosecutor described how the victim, standing beside the front driver’s side of a nearby vehicle, was confronted by Palmer. She then stated that Palmer proceeded to shoot the victim at point-blank range without any apparent reason.

Palmer, 48, was charged with attempted first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, firearm use in a felony or violent crime, firearm possession with a felony conviction, illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, having a gun within 100 yards of a public place, having a handgun on his person and in a vehicle and firing a gun in Baltimore City in connection to an incident nine months ago.

The charging documents reveal that on March 25, 2023, the victim reported to officers from the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) that before shooting him in the right hand, stomach, and knee, Palmer confronted him with words to the effect of, “What are you doing near my car?”

Defense attorney James Sweeting III argued that the crux of Palmer’s case is identifying the real culprit. He emphasized the need for critical examination of the prosecution’s evidence, specifically its lack of DNA, fingerprints, or facial recognition confirmation. Sweeting stressed that the case centers on determining who is truly responsible for the incident on Harford Road, rather than just acknowledging that something bad happened.

The jury determined guilty verdicts for attempted first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony or violent crime, firearm possession with a felony conviction, illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, having a gun within 100 yards of a public place, and having a handgun on his person.

The charges for having a handgun in his vehicle and firing a gun in Baltimore City were not sent to the jury.