OFFICE OF
THE STATE’S ATTORNEY
FOR
208 THE CLARENCE M. MITCHELL,
JR. COURTHOUSE
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 21202
State’s Attorney
For Information Contact: Margaret T. Burns
Cell (443) 474-7479 or Office (443) 984-1121
Or
Office (443) 984-1122 or Cell (410) 790-3248
DARIUS BACOTE PLEADS GUILTY
TO ATTEMPTED SECOND-DEGREE MURDER AND
HANDGUN USE
Teenager Sentenced to Thirty
Years Suspend All But Twelve Years For Shooting
Baltimore, MD - May 28, 2008 – At a hearing today, Darius Bacote, 17, of the 500 block of Orchard Street, pled guilty to Attempted Second-Degree Murder, Handgun Use in commission of a Crime of Violence and Wear Carry Transport. Judge Gale E. Rasin sentenced Bacote to 30 years, suspend all but 12 years, the first five without parole and five years of supervised probation upon his release. In February 2008 a motion to transfer the case to Juvenile Court was denied by Judge Rasin.
Bacote plead to the following
statement of facts. On November 9, 2007
in the 1300 block of West North Avenue at 9:24 p.m., Darius Bacote was observed
firing a handgun by Officer Gregory Fisher who was operating an unmarked
vehicle. The officer observed five
muzzle flashes. The officer gave chase
to Bacote and ordered him to the ground.
Recovered from Bacote’s pocket was a .38 special handgun. Later that night Bacote provided a taped
confession to Baltimore City detectives and confessed to shooting at Kevin
Morgan because of an ongoing dispute.
Initially officers were not certain if a victim or anyone had been
struck but a hospital canvas revealed that a walk-in shooting victim shot in
the 1300 block of West North Avenue location was admitted. Kevin Morgan was located at Shock Trauma
suffering from a gunshot wound to his back.
He was later released from the hospital and is expected to make a full
recovery. Darius Bacote was 16-years old at the time of the
shooting.
Assistant State’s Attorney Andrew Kowalczyk prosecuted this case.
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