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By
Racquel Bazos [former]
- May 14, 2024
Court
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Daily Stories
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Juveniles
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Non-Fatal Shooting
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Shooting
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Suspects
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Two teenagers pleaded guilty to assault and weapons charges for their suspected involvement in a Brooklyn Day mass shooting last summer.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey M. Geller presided over the May 13 hearing where a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old accepted identical plea deals for first-degree assault and possession of a firearm as a minor.
The deals provided 25 years, suspending all but five years, for first-degree assault and a concurrent five years for firearm possession as a minor. The teens must also serve five years of probation upon release.
The prosecution told Judge Geller his office would “keep an open mind” to modification if the teens make strides in their rehabilitation, but also advised that this deal would not preclude them from further prosecution should any evidence connecting them to the deaths of Kylis Fagbemi or Aaliyah Gonzalez surface.
According to the prosecutor’s statement of facts, Baltimore Police Department investigators recovered 13 9mm shell casings and six .40 caliber casings, among other ballistic evidence scattered throughout the Brooklyn Homes neighborhood after the July 2 shooting. The 15-year-old was arrested later that month in possession of a loaded Glock 17 9mm handgun, which fired consistently with the casings found on the scene. When the 16-year-old was arrested with a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson, ballistics experts likely matched its test-firings with the casings in evidence as well.
Defense attorney John Cox stated the parents of his 16-year-old client, who were present in court, had concerns about their son’s exposure to adult prison, preferring him to remain in juvenile detention. Cox characterized his client as “soft-spoken” and “respectful.”
The 15-year-old’s family members were also in attendance to support him. His defense attorney Warren Brown hoped this “would be a sea change” for his client.
Judge Geller said before imposing his sentence that this plea deal “represent[ed] balance between accountability and the possibility of rehabilitation.” He promised periodic review hearings to keep tabs on the teens’ progress.
Though their actions “sent shockwaves through the city,” the judge later told the defendants “…everyone in this courtroom wants you to succeed.”
After their sentencing, the prosecutor dropped all the other remaining charges.
Two other Brooklyn Day shooting co-defendants, Tristan Brian Jackson and Aaron Brown,both 18 years old, are scheduled for a motions hearing June 7.