The trial of Michael Reed, 22, who is now representing himself, continued on March 18 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Michael Anthony DiPietro.
According to charging documents, shortly after 11 a.m. on July 10, 2025, police responded to a ShotSpotter alert on the 1200 block of W. North Avenue. Officers were later informed that the victim initially received treatment for a gunshot wound at an area hospital before being transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Eyewitness interviews were said to identified Reed as the shooter, leading to his arrest five days later.
Reed was previously represented by defense attorney Deborah Warner-Dennis on Monday, who asked Judge DiPietro for a postponement.
“I don’t want that postponement,” Reed commented.
Warner-Dennis explained that she felt ill-prepared for the trial, especially since Reed had six pending cases.
As the trial opened, Reed chose to represent himself.
Meanwhile, a detective testified about the location of the shooting, as well as evidence found at the scene.
“Can I rebut?” Reed asked Judge DiPietro, objecting to photos of the shooting location submitted into evidence.
Judge DiPietro overruled the objection as the witness had already confirmed the location.
An eyewitness was later questioned by the prosecution, and testified he saw everything while working as a security guard for a pawn shop near the shooting location. The eyewitness testified he heard the victim’s name being yelled, as well as gunshots, and that he saw the defendant running up to and firing at the victim. Shortly afterward, he said he saw the victim, whom he knew personally, enter a vehicle and leave the scene.
When asked by the prosecution how he identified Reed as the shooter, the eyewitness stated he had observed the defendant frequenting the block over 50 times since April. He said he recognized Reed through his “gazelle”-like running gait, distinctly colored New Balance shoes, Under Armour shorts, height of over 6 feet, and his eyebrows, which he said “go that way like a Nike check.”
Jurors were also shown surveillance footage from the pawn shop and body-worn camera footage from a detective’s interview of the eyewitness.
During cross-examination, Reed questioned how the eyewitness recognized him, noting he was on his phone before the shooting. Reed raised his voice while pointing to the shooter in the surveillance footage and asked, “Can you see my face?”
The eyewitness explained that he was standing in front of the pawn shop’s front window at the time. “I didn’t use the camera, I used my eyeballs,” he replied.
Reed then asked the witness if he had ever seen him selling drugs on the block, and the witness confirmed he had on several occasions.
Reed also asked if the witness was receiving payment for his testimony, which the latter denied. The defendant asked if the witness would be willing to take a polygraph test to support his claims, but Judge DiPietro stated the court would not be administering one.
The trial will continue on March 19.
