A 36-year-old man was acquitted of all charges on Feb. 20 in connection to an East Baltimore shooting from last summer, just hours after the victim testified that the defendant wasn’t the person who shot him.
Jurors delivered their verdict shortly after defendant Durel Jones‘ attorney rested her case in a three-day trial before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Kendra Y. Ausby.
Jones was initially charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault, firearm use, reckless endangerment and five other gun violations in connection to a shooting that occurred just minutes before midnight on June 14, 2025. Officers responded through rain to a ShotSpotter alert on the 2300 block of Harford Road, near a Citgo gas station, where they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to his right thigh.
The situation reportedly began when Jones’ pregnant girlfriend became engaged in a physical fight with another woman. The prosecution claimed Jones grew angry when his girlriend sustained a cut in the altercation.
Jurors were shown footage from multiple surveillance cameras in the area that captured the incident unfold across the block. According to the state, Jones began chasing the victim down Sherwood Avenue while opening fire. One of the bullets struck the victim in the thigh, after which he was captured limping.
“They pierce skin, they pierce organs—they pierce anything they hit,” said the state’s attorney, emphasizing the damage done by the gunfire.
Investigators later found a black-and-white-striped beanie similar to the one worn by the shooter at Jones’ residence.
“Each link forms the chain,” the state’s attorney told the jury, using his own gold chain to demonstrate pieces of evidence coming together. He urged jurors to find Jones guilty.
Defense attorney Karyn Meriwether argued that extraordinary claims require “ordinary proof.” She said there were no eyewitnesses at the scene besides the victim, who denied Jones’ culpability. The victim later testified he was unable to recall specific details regarding the incident because he was under the influence of drugs at the time.
Meanwhile, Jones had just been “living in his own neighborhood,” Meriwether said.
