Trial Begins for 20-Year-Old Man Accused of Boarman Avenue Mass Shooting in 2022

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Chaos erupted along Boarman Avenue on May 10, 2022, when gunfire rained down upon a group of people. A year later, on June 27, a Baltimore City prosecutor argued that it was 20-year-old Jarell Speaks who pulled the trigger, shooting and injuring four people.

Speaks, who was 19 at the time of the incident, began his trial on Tuesday before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge John Howard. He currently faces five counts each of attempted first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment, as well as single counts of being a minor in possession of a firearm, having a handgun on his person, having a handgun in a vehicle, and discharging firearms.

A group of people were gathered on the 2800 block of Boarman Avenue near Reisterstown Road shortly before 9:00 p.m. when Speaks “comes up and just starts blindly shooting,” the prosecutor said in his opening statement.

“They weren’t hurting anyone. … They were just enjoying themselves,” the prosecutor explained, saying that the first victim who was shot fell into a ditch and then shot back, hitting the defendant in the leg.

This victim was not injured.

Officers with the Baltimore Police Department were called to the scene, where they found two additional victims. Three other victims, including Speaks, were later reported walking into Sinai Hospital for treatment.

The prosecutor said that officers matched the clothing Speaks’ was wearing that night with the clothes the shooter was wearing in the recovered CCTV surveillance footage. The defendant was arrested days later.

Defense attorney Michael Tomko encouraged the jury to not only pay attention to the details presented at trial but, specifically, the lack of details. In addition to the two handguns that were found at the scene—indicating that there was more than one shooter—Tomko said the video evidence does not show anyone’s face.

No victims are expected to testify at trial, he added.

“If the confusion is your conclusion, you will not be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt,” Tomko said.

Testimony began Tuesday and is expected to continue on June 28.