Surveillance Video, Cell Phone Said to Link Suspect to Killing

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In trial on March 28, the prosecution presented video and cellphone evidence allegedly linking Derrien Gamble, 21, to the Feb. 13, 2024 fatal shooting of Tyree Bell,19. The incident occurred in the entryway of a convenience store located at the intersection of Preston and Potomac Streets.

Video from inside One Stop Grocery in the 2900 block of E. Preston Street and a warehouse across the street captured the killing. The videos showed Bell and three female acquaintances arriving at the store in a black car where an unidentified man was observed walking back and forth. Later, three men, who were referred to as assailants were captured on video approaching the victim’s car.

Then the trio approached the black vehicle and appear to exchange words with its three passengers when they quickly drive off. Bell is seen exiting the convenience store when one of the assailants fatally shoots him.

All three assailants fled on foot and one was killed shortly after, according to the defense.

Defense attorney James Sweeting III questioned the Baltimore Police Department’s (BPD) lead homicide investigator about the three women’s role in the shooting.

“Was it not suspect to you that this car brought the victim?” he said. “Did that suggest some planning or coordination?”

“I initially thought that, too,” the detective responded. However, following interviews with the women, he concluded “the exact opposite.”

BPD arrested Gamble at a residence while executing a search and seizure warrant for an unrelated attempted murder incident. A Maryland State ID, handgun, and cell phone were recovered from the scene, according to court documents.

The prosecution mentioned that Gamble was contacted by an FBI agent six days prior to the shooting.

A forensics expert testified that DNA found on the handgun was a mix of at least two individuals. When testing for a maximum of three possible DNA matches, Bell was excluded from the results while Gamble proved an inconclusive match.

An FBI special agent testified that records gathered from Gamble’s cell phone indicated he received and sent various incoming calls and outgoing ones in the convenience store’s area, both before and after the shooting occurred. A 15-minute pause in phone calls was noted.

After the jury was dismissed, the prosecution stressed that Gamble’s cell phone location data was the primary indicator of Gamble’s guilt.

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Levi S. Zaslow presided over the hearing. The trial is set to conclude on March 31.