Sentenced to 20 years, suspending all but 10 years, with the first five years ineligible for parole
Baltimore, Md. (August 23, 2024) - Today, the State's Attorney's Office secured a guilty plea from Christopher Gamble for Manslaughter and Use of a Handgun in the Commission of a Crime of Violence for leaving an unsecured, illegal firearm in the presence of his two-year-old daughter who died from a fatal gunshot wound in December 2023. Gamble was sentenced to 20 years, suspending all but 10 years, with the first five years ineligible for parole.
"This is a devastating case that exemplifies the horrific consequences of unsafe gun storage and illegal gun possession. Today's plea and sentencing are a sobering reminder of the devastating consequences that illegal handguns have had on our great city," said State's Attorney Ivan J. Bates. "Leaving an unsecured, illegal firearm within reach of a child is an act of profound negligence that has resulted in a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy. No outcome in court can bring back Charlee Gamble. Her death is the most significant consequence this defendant will face for the rest of his life. This sentence reflects our commitment to holding accountable those who put our community, especially our children, at risk. Our thoughts are with the family as they continue to cope with this unimaginable loss."
On December 17, 2023, at approximately 7:03 p.m., Christopher Gamble arrived at Sinai Hospital and dropped off the victim, his two-year-old daughter Charlee Gamble, who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Gamble left his daughter with Sinai Hospital staff and drove away. At 7:14 p.m., the defendant arrived at the hospital again and dropped off the victim’s mother before once again leaving. At 7:32 p.m., the defendant arrived for a third time at the hospital in different clothes and remained there with police who had responded to a call from Sinai Hospital staff for the walk-in shooting. Despite lifesaving efforts, Charlee Gamble succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at 8:14 p.m. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death to be a homicide.
The investigation revealed that on December 17, 2023, the defendant lived at the 6000 block of Park Heights Avenue with a woman and four children. Officers executed a search warrant at that location and discovered blood on the ground outside the lobby front door, on the walls in the hallway, on the apartment door, and inside the apartment on the walls, floor, and in the bedroom. Located next to a TV stand on the carpet was blood and biological material appearing to be from a head wound. A small hole was located in the ceiling of the bedroom, and it was discovered that a 9mm bullet had gone through the ceiling and into the upstairs neighbor’s apartment, where police recovered it. No shell casings or firearms were located at the apartment.
Security video at that apartment complex from that date showed the defendant running out of the front lobby at 7:00 p.m. with Charlee Gamble in his arms while she was visibly dripping blood from her head and appeared unconscious. The defendant departed the location and took the victim to Sinai Hospital before returning to take her mother to the hospital and then returning two more times to transport the remaining children to alternate caregivers’ homes. Citiwatch and private video footage recovered from the route between the defendant’s residence and the hospital showed that during the second trip to the hospital, the defendant took a detour from the direct route, exited his vehicle, and appeared to toss something into the storm drain on Clover Road. Detectives responded to this location and recovered a black Polymer 80 9mm semiautomatic handgun with a shell casing “stove-piped” in the ejection port and a magazine inserted with seven additional live rounds. Testing revealed that the cartridge case recovered from the firearm was consistent with being fired from the weapon recovered from the storm drain. The bullet recovered from the crime scene was also consistent with being fired from the recovered weapon.
The defendant gave a statement to police that he was alone in his bedroom with Charlee Gamble and that he owned a “ghost gun” that he had purchased on the street for $600. The defendant claimed that he was looking down at his phone when Charlee Gamble picked up the gun off of the TV stand. He then indicated to police that the child had shot herself. The defendant also told police he did not know what happened to the gun or where it was currently located. The victim's mother told police that, on the way to the hospital, the defendant kept saying it was his fault and that he wanted to die.
The defendant was prohibited from possessing a regulated firearm at the time of this incident due to a conviction for Assault in the Second-Degree in Wicomico County in September 2021.