A 30-year-old man has been acquitted of all charges in connection to a double shooting that occurred last spring outside a Northeast Baltimore grocery store.
Raekwon Newman, a self-proclaimed native of the area in which the shooting unfolded, was found not guilty by jurors the day after his trial concluded. He was acquitted of 12 total charges, including two counts of conspiracy, four counts of attempted murder, and single counts of assault, reckless endangerment and firearm use. One count of firearm use was dismissed.
The verdict was returned on Feb. 18, one day after counsel delivered final closing statements and rested their respective cases before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Catherine Chen.
Newman was among three suspects charged in the shooting, which left two Black teenage boys injured outside Sun M Food Market on the 2600 block of Polk Street. The boys had been gambling with a group of other males outside the store, according to charging documents. As Newman and the other two suspects walked past, one of them reportedly shot into the group, leaving the two victims suffering from gunshot wounds to their lower bodies.
At trial, defense attorney John Deros maintained his client’s innocence, directing jurors’ attention to perceived failures in the state’s investigative process and emphasizing the lack of firearms recovered in connection to the case. Jurors ultimately sided with Deros, finding Newman not guilty.
