In an emotional hearing, defendant Antaun Oliver, 20, who was accidentally injured from a self-inflicted shooting was given a lenient sentence of Probation Before Judgment (PBJ) by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Kendra Ausby on Sept. 30.
During the proceeding, the defendant’s family watched in tears awaiting the outcome.
Oliver was charged with possession of a firearm as a minor, illegal possession of ammunition, and discharging a firearm in Baltimore City in connection to an incident that occurred on the 1000 block of Bristol Place on June 30.
According to charging documents, the defendant called 911 after accidentally shooting himself while attempting to clean a handgun. Officers arrived and located Oliver who was seated on the steps outside of his residence, covered in blood, and holding a cloth to the left side of his body. The defendant was transported to The University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment.
During an interview, Oliver revealed to officers that while sitting in his bedroom to clean his gun, he pointed the barrel towards himself. He had initially removed the magazine but forgot to check if there was a bullet still in the weapon. Oliver noted that the trigger needs to be pulled to disassemble the gun and clean it internally. Upon pulling the trigger, the gun went off, and Oliver called 911 after realizing he was injured.
A search warrant for the residence yielded a 9mm handgun on the bed in an upstairs bedroom. One extended magazine containing 18 live 9mm rounds was located next to the handgun and an empty shell casing was found inside of the barrel. Additionally, two live 9mm bullets were collected from the bedroom floor, while one extended magazine containing 12 21R bullets was found on a table in the living room.
On Sept. 30, Oliver made an initial appearance before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland. The prosecution offered a plea deal on the illegal possession count, five years suspended all but one year, with three years of probation. After the defense rejected the plea, the case was sent before Judge Ausby for a plea negotiation.
During this hearing, defense attorney Rodney Gray explained mitigating factors affecting the case. Gray shared that the defendant is a successful baseball player and is looking to play for a four-year college. He also stated that Oliver is employed, a student, and has no previous criminal record, and requested a suspended sentence with probation.
Judge Ausby asked for the defendant to explain how the incident affected him and his family, to which Oliver stated that his confinement in a booking facility adversely affected his mental health and was an “eye-opening experience” that introduced him to life in jail. He shared his commitment to baseball and still attended practices while recovering. Oliver said that the incident was very hard on his family, especially his mother.
Following the personal statement, Judge Ausby stated that she is counting on the fact that Oliver has so much going for him. Further, she said “that he was kept alive for a reason and this is a chance to see what that reason was”.
As a result, Judge Ausby accepted Oliver’s plea that dismissed all charges except for count one and sentenced the defendant to 3 years of supervised Probation Before Judgement, which strikes the guilty finding and seals the conviction from his record. The defendant must also register as a gun offender.
