Man’s Retrial Begins for 2017 Fauji Grocery Mart Shooting

By Andrew Michaels - February 27, 2023
Attempted Murder | Court | Daily Stories | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects |

Soda was still fizzing on the ground from gunfire when Baltimore Police arrived at Fauji Grocery Mart on the evening of March 1, 2017. Video evidence captured the shooting, and a recovered palmprint and fingerprints helped detectives find their suspect.

On Feb. 24, Baltimore resident Matthew Lipscomb, 29, began a retrial for the attempted murder of a man who he allegedly shot at least nine times, according to the prosecutor. The defendant, who is represented by defense attorney Natalie Finegar, is also facing first and second-degree assault as well as four weapon charges.

The prosecution laid out the details of the incident that occurred nearly six years ago during her opening statement on Friday afternoon.

Shortly before 7 p.m., the victim was inside the Fauji Grocery Mart at 2342 East Monument Street along with the storeowners and their children when the suspect walked inside, lifted his left hand, and opened fire. As he continued shooting, the prosecutor said, the store’s security cameras showed the suspect, later identified as Lipscomb, uses his right hand to push open the entrance’s glass door before leaving.

A palm print and multiple fingerprints were lifted from the door and matched Lipscomb’s prints.

In the time after the shooting, police learned that Lipscomb bragged about the shooting to two friends, showing them a media clip released by the police. Both of the individuals are expected to testify, the prosecutor explained, one of whom shared information with police about the shooting that was not released publicly.

Finegar remained skeptical of the police investigation, telling the jury that only “half of the investigation was done.” For example, recovered ballistics evidence was never tested as police focused on the prints recovered from a publicly-used store entrance and the testimony of Lipscomb’s two friends.

The investigation was conducted with tunnel vision, she concluded.

Testimony began Friday afternoon before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gregory Sampson and is expected to continue on Feb. 27.