A jury in the trial of Steven Young Jr. found the defendant not guilty of assault and weapons charges on Aug. 12 following a two-day proceeding before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lynn S. Mays.
Young, 26, was found not guilty of first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, having a handgun on his person and discharging a firearm. No verdicts were rendered for charges of using a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence or having controlled dangerous substances while in possession of a firearm.
During closing arguments, defense attorney Christopher Purpura argued that Young was not the first person to fire a gun during the incident just after 1 a.m. on Jan. 12. Purpura said the first shooter was dressed in all black and that a muffler spark is visible in the recovered video at the same time the first shooter fired.
Young was shot in the right buttock, according to previous coverage by Baltimore Witness.
According to the police report, city surveillance footage showed Young open fire on an unknown man on the 1900 block of Ashland Avenue. Before the shooting, Young and another individual were “engaged in unknown activity” with a group of individuals — including the other shooter — on the sixth floor of the Residence Inn on the eight hundred block of 800 N. Wolfe Street. As Young and the other individual left the hotel and were driving away, court documents state that one member of the group that was now outside pulled out a handgun and began chasing the duo’s vehicle.
Young was accused of firing at the unknown man who returned fire at the corner of E. Wolfe Street and Ashland Avenue.
