Shooting Survivor Breaks Down, Recounts Begging for Her Life

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The woman who survived a January shooting broke down in tears on Sept. 23 as she told jurors she begged the gunman to stop firing.

The woman testified that 26-year-old defendant Kahlil Calloway shot her and a male victim inside a silver 2004 Ford Explorer on the 2600 block of E. Federal Street on Jan. 2.

“Stop, stop, I have kids, stop!” she recalled saying. She told jurors she was struck six times, including once in the head. A bullet remains lodged above her right temple.

The woman also testified that she had only seen the defendant three times before the shooting. During one of those encounters, she alleged Calloway asked her to have sex with him in the vehicle where the shooting later occurred. She told jurors she refused.

The prosecution informed the jury that Calloway entered the front passenger side of the vehicle and opened fire, striking both victims. She admitted no firearm was recovered, but believes that the weapon was likely a revolver due to the lack of shell casings found at the scene.

Defense attorney Marci T. Johnson insists that Calloway was not the shooter.

“There is no physical evidence,” she declared, arguing that others in the neighborhood often frequented the Explorer.

A detective for the Baltimore Police Department said the vehicle appeared to be lived in, with clothing and belongings inside and an extension cord running from a nearby house. He testified that the female victim initially could not identify Calloway in a photo array while under medical care, but later picked him out in a subsequent array.

The woman claimed that Calloway wore ski masks, so during the photo arrays, she focused mostly on suspect’s eyes. She described the defendant’s eyes as almond-shaped and easily recognizable.

A DNA analyst claimed swabs from the passenger-side door of the vehicle contained a mixture of at least three contributors. He testified it was “131 billion times more likely” that Calloway’s DNA matched the sample than a random individual.

Calloway is charged with attempted first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and multiple firearm violations. Testimony is scheduled to continue this week.

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Judge John A. Howard is presiding over the trial.