West Mulberry Street Homicide Defendant Claims Self-Defense

By Amel Kebede [former] - November 20, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On Nov. 13, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer heard arguments in a homicide case.

The defendant Dominic Hicks and his defense attorney, Michael Cooper, claimed the suspect’s actions ware in self-defense.

Hicks, 38, is charged with second-degree murder, firearm use in a felony violent crime, firearm possession with a felony conviction and having a handgun on his person in connection to the death of 31-year-old Lattimore Thompson.

The assistant state’s attorney said Hicks was punched by Thompson once, but Hicks retaliated by shooting Thompson in the chest after an argument.

Cooper defended his client’s actions as self-defense. He asked the jury to put themselves in Hicks’ shoes and said the video evidence would show Hicks defending himself.

According to court documents, on Dec. 29, 2022, Baltimore Police Department officers responded to a shooting on the 500 block of West Mulberry street and found Thompson lying face down from apparent gunshot wounds. Medics transported him to a nearby hospital, where he died.

Based on surveillance video, the defendant allegedly went into an Exxon gas station and as he was exiting the store, he met with the victim. They got into a physical altercation, when Hicks pulled out a handgun from his waistband, shot Thompson and fled the scene.