Man Acquitted in Chilton Street Shooting Over Grocery Dispute

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An attempted homicide defendant accused of shooting at a neighbor over a grocery delivery was found not guilty of all charges on June 23.

Juan Dean, 41, was charged with attempted first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, firearm possession with a felony conviction, illegal possession of a firearm, having a handgun on his person, having a handgun in a vehicle, and discharging firearms in connection to the incident on June 25, 2022, on the 1800 block of Chilton Street.

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gregory Sampson presided over his three-day trial, which concluded on Friday.

During the prosecution’s closing argument, she described the shooting as “unnecessary, cruel, and absolutely reckless. On the day in question, she said, the victim saw groceries sitting on his grandmother’s front porch and took them inside for her. Dean, upset, attempted to get his groceries back and allegedly slapped the victim in the face.

Moments later, Dean went to his car and retrieved a handgun, which he then fired at the victim, hitting a window in the process. The victim ducked and ran into the house.

Although defense attorney Charles Paul argued that no shots were fired as no glass fragments from the window were found at the scene, the prosecutor said a small hole was found in the windowpane and the crown modeling inside the home.

“When you pull a gun, guns are designed to kill. … [Dean] wasn’t defending himself against anything,” the prosecutor said.

The victim waited 45 minutes to call 911, she continued, and had considered “taking matters into his own hands.”

“He chose to trust in the law [and] you guys,” the prosecutor said, acknowledging the jurors.

A shell casing was not recovered, but given Dean’s arrest nine to 10 days after the incident, the prosecutor concluded, this would have been plenty of time to get rid of the evidence. A revolver may also have been used, she added, which would not have left behind a shell casing.

Paul’s argument focused the jury’s attention on the victim, specifically, that the victim identified Dean as the shooter during his 911 call, but did not identify the defendant as the shooter when Baltimore Police Department officers arrived at the scene.

“We’ve learned if you lie about something small, you’ll definitely lie about something big,” Paul said, noting that the victim also lied about which side of his face the defendant struck.

The defense attorney also questioned why the victim’s grandmother did not testify during the trial, despite allegedly witnessing the shooting. The only real evidence from the prosecution was the victim’s testimony, he said, as there was no weapon, bullet, glass or wood fragments recovered.