Defendant Faces 125 Years for Fatal Double Shooting

Baltimore, Md. (October 22, 2026) - Today, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates announced that Defendant Jaden Shanks was found guilty on all charges, including Second-Degree Murder, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence, Attempted Second-Degree Murder, First-Degree Assault, and related firearms offenses. At sentencing, the Defendant faces 125 years. Assistant State’s Attorney Amy Brown prosecuted this case.

“Today’s conviction sends a clear message: if you choose to carry an illegal firearm and use it to settle a dispute, you will be held accountable for your actions. My office will not tolerate gun violence as a means of resolving conflicts. When individuals turn to firearms instead of peaceful solutions, the consequences can be devastating, leaving victims, families, and entire communities to suffer,” said State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates. “Ultimately, when guns are used to settle disputes, everybody loses. We will continue to aggressively prosecute those who illegally carry guns in our communities and use them to threaten the safety of others.”

On November 21, 2025, at approximately 8:37 p.m., Baltimore Police responded to the 400 block of W. Saratoga Street for a report of a discharge. Upon arrival, officers found Cameron Paige unresponsive, suffering from gunshot wounds to his left thigh, abdomen, and lower back. They also found a female victim with a gunshot wound to her leg. Both individuals were transported to the hospital. The female victim was treated for her injury and released, while Mr. Paige was pronounced deceased.

Seven spent shell casings were recovered at the scene, along with surveillance video from a nearby business showing the victims leaving a store together and passing a man, later identified as Defendant Jaden Shanks. The video shows the victims standing on a nearby sidewalk next to steps where a woman and a child were sitting. The surviving victim and the woman on the steps appeared to get into an altercation. At that point, the Defendant walked across the street, and Mr. Paige stepped in front of him and pushed him into a parked car before throwing him to the ground. Video then showed what appeared to be three muzzle flashes. Mr. Paige ran approximately three car-lengths away before collapsing. The Defendant sat up and fired several more shots before getting up and walking away from the area as the victim crawled away. The Defendant's own step-children, aged 7 and 11, were in the line of fire and were running away as he fired seven times.

An arrest warrant was issued for the Defendant. On December 30, 2025, detectives located the Defendant at a hotel located at the 6500 block of Frankford Avenue and arrested him. A search warrant was obtained for the hotel room, where a S&W MP9 handgun was recovered from the hotel safe inside the Defendant's room. The gun was processed and analyzed for DNA and was found to contain Mr. Shanks’s DNA profile.

In a mirandized taped statement, the Defendant admitted that he was the shooter. He claimed that he took the gun from Mr. Paige when Mr. Paige had him on the ground in an act of self-defense. The Defendant is prohibited from possessing a regulated firearm due to a prior disqualifying conviction for Possession with Intent to Distribute in Baltimore City.