BALTIMORE – The Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office has announced plans to retry an individual accused of involvement in a mass shooting at Edmondson Village Shopping Center, which resulted in the death of a high school student and left four others injured.
The tragic incident occurred on January 4, 2023, when 16-year-old Deonta Dorsey and his classmates were standing outside a Popeyes restaurant near their school during lunch. Authorities say two suspects opened fire, shooting multiple rounds before fleeing the scene behind nearby buildings.
Deonta’s aunt shared her heartbreak, saying, “He didn’t deserve this. He was only 16. He was a good kid, never in trouble, never bothered anyone.”
Two suspects, Daaon Spears (18) and Bryan Johnson (18), were charged in connection with the shooting. Both Spears and Johnson were 16 years old at the time of the crime. Spears faces 31 charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and assault in connection with the deadly shooting.
Although Spears was tried in October 2024, a judge declared a mistrial after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision.
In a related development, on Monday, a judge offered Johnson a plea deal of 50 years in prison, but Johnson declined the offer. Instead, he will face a joint trial with Spears, scheduled for April 28, 2025.
Attorney Thiru Vignarajah, representing Dorsey’s family, expressed the desire for a fair trial, emphasizing that “We want this case to be treated with the same seriousness as any mass shooting in Canton, Federal Hill, or the Inner Harbor.”
Source: CBS News
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