Man Found Competent to Stand Trial in Neighbor Dispute Shooting

By Racquel Bazos - January 12, 2024
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

On Jan. 10, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gale E. Rasin found a 23-year-old attempted murder defendant competent to stand trial. 

Daykai Quarles is charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime, discharging firearms, first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment in connection to an Aug. 10, 2022, incident.

Quarles was found incompetent on July 5, 2023.

At Quarles’ six-month status conference Wednesday, Judge Rasin said that a recent evaluation had found him competent to stand trial. 

Though Judge Rasin agreed with the report and found Quarles competent, his attorney James Sweeting III previously filed a not criminally responsible (NCR) plea. As such, Quarles will remain in the psychiatric facility for at least an additional two months pending completion of a report as to his responsibility at the time of the incident. 

Judge Rasin scheduled Quarles’ next mental health court hearing for March 13.

According to documents from the District Court of Maryland, Quarles and his father were arguing with a neighbor about a missing lawnmower from the second story window of their home on the 4400 block of Elderon Avenue. The neighbor told Baltimore Police Department officers that Quarles shot at him from the window, damaging his storm door. No one was injured in the shooting.