By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
The trial for 18-year-old Daaon Spears, accused of participating in the Jan. 4 mass shooting that claimed the life of 16-year-old Deanta Dorsey, began on Oct. 17 inside of the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse in Baltimore.
Spears is one of two people accused of murdering Dorsey, who was a student of Edmondson-Westside High School. The shooting took place during the school day at the Edmondson Village Shopping Center. Dorsey was the sole fatality of the shooting, which left a total of five young men shot during the school’s lunchtime.
Thiruvendran “Thiru” Vignarajah, representative for the Dorsey family, spoke to members of the press outside of the courthouse on Oct. 15 about the trial.
“This is an important chapter for this family as they seek a measure of justice,” said Vignarajah. “The family is here to remind the world that their son is not forgotten– that there is a hole in their hearts that no courtroom will fill. They hope and pray that a measure of justice is delivered in the next few days.”
Brandon Taylor, Spears’ attorney, shared few comments on the case, but urged people to pay attention to the facts.
“Pay attention to the evidence,” said Taylor on Oct. 15. “Public opinion will always be public opinion.”
In this case, 12 jurists were seated and there are at least three alternatives. The jurists and alternatives are primarily people of color.
Both the victim and the defendants in this case are young, Black males.
Taylor shared his frustrations concerning the Baltimore City judicial system with the AFRO.
“Everyone accused of a crime is supposed to be viewed as innocent until proven guilty, but with the sound of chains in the hallways, the ability to see people chained and escorted down the hallways with officers and having four or five officers in the courtrooms…some inherent bias is going to arise,” said Taylor.
Throughout day one of the trial, Judge Robert K. Taylor Jr. and courtroom law enforcement made sure to unshackle the defendant while jurists were present. Spears was shackled again during breaks and when officers needed to transport him down the hallway.
The other person accused of murdering Dorsey is Bryan Johnson, 18. He was mentioned throughout day one of the trial, but is still awaiting his trial date.
At the time of the incident, Spears and Johnson were 16, but both were tried as adults.
The trial is in a small courtroom with three rows of seats in the middle, mainly for the families of Dorsey and Spears, and two rows of seats to the left of the courtroom for reporters and other attendees.
Both the prosecutor, Rita Wisthoff-Ito, and Taylor gave brief opening statements.
Wisthoff-Ito painted a picture of what happened on the day of the shooting and emphasized the intent of those who committed the crime.
“What is the intention but to kill when you fire at someone like this?” said Wisthoff-Ito. “If you fire multiple times you are going to kill somebody.”
Dr. Edernst Noncent, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Dorsey, confirmed that Dorsey was shot 16 times.
The prosecution presented several 911 calls and police-worn body camera footage to the jury and called up nine witnesses throughout the day. The audio clips of the calls helped depict how harrowing the scene was for attendees.
Callers depicted the scene to dispatchers while verbally reacting to Dorsey’s body on the ground, not breathing.
One caller repeatedly yells “he’s gone,” after realizing that one of the wounded young men– Dorsey–was already dead. Another caller could be heard shouting several times in disbelief.
People in the courtroom could hear individuals wailing and police sirens in the background as the callers spoke with dispatchers.
Though the evidence was tough to hear, both sides are counting on the jury to process the information and make a decision on Spears’ fate.
In his opening statements, Taylor asserted that the prosecution would fail to present a motive and Spears’ DNA in connection with this incident to the jury.
“Spears is accused of a crime he did not commit,” said Taylor. “Spears was not responsible for what happened here.”
As the trial continues, the AFRO will continue to provide updates.