Man Who Fired Back in North Rose Street Shootout Pleads Guilty to Weapons Charge

By Andrew Michaels - January 24, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

A 27-year-old Baltimore man will serve a five-year prison sentence without parole for his involvement in a shootout last spring.

Wallace Clifton chose to pursue a plea agreement with the prosecution on Jan. 24 rather than proceed with a scheduled jury trial. The prosecutor offered Clifton a plea of five years without parole for firearm possession with a felony conviction in connection to an incident on May 15, 2023.

The defendant, who was represented by defense attorney Maureen O’Leary, is also required to register as a gun offender upon his release. Clifton’s sentence will date back to his arrest on the day of the shooting.

During Wednesday’s plea hearing, the prosecutor told Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Philip S. Jackson that Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers were called to the 400 block of North Rose Street for a report of gunshots. When they arrived, officers found a Nissan Sentra and a Volkswagen in the road, both with damage from gunfire.

Clifton was then found in a nearby alleyway, suffering from gunshot wounds to his hands and shoulder. Police later learned that the defendant and another person got into an altercation when the unidentified suspect opened fire and Clifton fired back.

In addition to the aforementioned charge, the defendant was initially facing charges of illegal possession of a firearm, having a loaded handgun on his person and in a vehicle, illegal possession of ammunition and firing a gun in Baltimore City.