A Baltimore firefighter was found guilty of discharging a gun outside a Southeast Baltimore crab house in April and sentenced to six months and 12 days behind bars on Halloween. However, he was acquitted of attempted murder.
Tyrone Emmanuel White Sr., 43, initially faced charges of attempted murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and multiple gun violations. Following deliberations, White was acquitted of four counts and found not guilty of seven in connection to the shooting, which occurred outside Blue Point Crab House on the 2400 block of Orleans Street. Officers responded to the incident at approximately 6:46 p.m. on April 20 — a holiday afternoon, according to the prosecution.
Prosecutors alleged White and his sister were en route to the crab house when they narrowly avoided striking a man with their vehicle. The man later told jurors at trial that he’d left his residence that morning to buy supplies for a cookout. While crossing the street, he recalled a car speeding toward him, forcing him to jump out of its path.
At the restaurant, White reportedly remained in the car while his sister entered to pick up food. Meanwhile, the victim approached the vehicle. When White’s sister exited the restaurant and saw the victim standing near the vehicle, a physical altercation ensued between the two.
White’s sister allegedly shoved the man, ordering him to “get the f*ck away” from the vehicle. The victim, a 40-year-old man, later admitted on the stand that he returned the shove, which prompted White to roll down his window and reveal a Ruger Max-9 9mm pistol.
Defense attorney Roland Harris argued White acted in fear after the victim grew aggressive toward his sister and treated her “like a punching bag.”
The victim recalled White firing multiple shots from the pistol that struck him in the right leg and led him to seek shelter beneath a nearby car. His injuries required two weeks of hospitalization, two blood transfusions, and four surgeries. He is still attending therapy fmobility issues, he told the court, and an injury he’d sustained prior to the shooting had already rendered him unable to continue his 17-year career as a floor installer.
The prosecution claimed the victim was unarmed at the time, possessing “no gun, no knife, nothing.”
Harris, meanwhile, pointed to an assault conviction the victim incurred in 2013 and asked why the victim did not notify nearby officers about the interaction. A police sergeant in the area had witnessed the altercation, but did not intervene, believing the pair was “just messing around.”
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer presided over proceedings in this case.
