Jury Acquits Daaon Spears in Retrial Over 2023 Edmondson Village Shooting That Killed Teen
Verdict ends second trial stemming from January 2023 gunfire outside Edmondson Village Shopping Center
A Baltimore City Circuit Court jury on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, found Daaon Spears not guilty in the killing of 16-year-old Deanta Dorsey, closing a retrial that revisited one of Baltimore’s most closely watched youth-involved shooting cases.
Spears, now 19, had faced charges that included first-degree murder, attempted murder and multiple firearm-related counts in connection with a shooting that occurred on Jan. 4, 2023, outside a Popeyes restaurant at the Edmondson Village Shopping Center. The incident unfolded during the school day as students were in the area during a lunch break. Dorsey, a sophomore at Edmondson-Westside High School, was shot 16 times and later died. Four other teenagers were wounded.
How the prosecution and defense framed the retrial
The state’s case relied heavily on surveillance video from multiple angles to place the shooter or shooters at the scene and to identify the people involved. Prosecutors argued that the number of shots fired into Dorsey supported an intent to kill.
The defense challenged the strength of the identification and argued that the case against Spears was circumstantial. In court, the defense emphasized the absence of forensic evidence tying Spears to the gunfire, including a lack of DNA, fingerprint or ballistic links presented to the jury as definitive proof of involvement.
The verdict came after jurors deliberated for more than five hours, ending a trial that centered on whether video evidence could meet the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Background: a hung jury in 2024 led to a second trial
The Feb. 2026 retrial followed Spears’ first trial in October 2024, which ended without a unanimous verdict and was declared a mistrial. The renewed proceedings required Dorsey’s family and witnesses to again confront evidence that included emergency calls and autopsy material introduced at trial.
Separate case remains for a second suspect
Spears was not the only person charged in the investigation. Authorities previously arrested another teen suspect, Bryan Johnson, who was also 16 at the time of the shooting. Johnson’s case has proceeded separately, and Friday’s verdict addressed only the charges against Spears.
Key facts in the case
Date and location: Jan. 4, 2023, outside a Popeyes at the Edmondson Village Shopping Center.
Victim: Deanta Dorsey, 16, an Edmondson-Westside High School student, shot 16 times.
Others harmed: Four additional teenagers were wounded.
Procedural history: First trial ended in a mistrial in October 2024; retrial concluded Feb. 27, 2026.
Outcome: Spears was acquitted of murder and attempted murder charges in the retrial.
With the acquittal, prosecutors cannot retry Spears on the same charges resolved by Friday’s not-guilty verdict. The broader accountability picture in the Edmondson Village case now turns on the separate proceedings involving the second suspect.