A Baltimore judge has tossed four gun charges against 20-year-old Zyaire Bowman just days into his trial, wiping out a big chunk of the case tied to a chaotic September 2024 shooting on North Stockton Street that left several people injured.
The judgment of acquittal came on Tuesday, shortly after prosecutors began putting on witnesses about the incident outside a home in the 1300 block of North Stockton Street. Bowman was 18 at the time of the shooting and is now standing trial at age 20.
According to Baltimore Witness, Bowman had been charged with carrying a loaded handgun, firing it during what authorities framed as an attempted armed robbery, and possessing a firearm as a minor. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea M. Handy entered the judgment of acquittal on those firearm counts shortly after opening statements, once prosecutors started calling witnesses. The defense has argued that Bowman fired in self-defense, the outlet reported.
How a Judgment of Acquittal Works
A judgment of acquittal is a trial judge’s call that the prosecution’s evidence, even taken at its best, cannot legally support a conviction on specific counts. When that happens, those counts are dismissed right then and there.
The standard is whether any rational factfinder could find every element of the crime proven when the evidence is viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, according to Cornell Law School. If the answer is no, the judge can step in before a jury ever gets to vote on those charges.
What Investigators Say Happened on Stockton Street
Investigators recovered five spent shell casings at the scene and pulled Ring doorbell and other CCTV footage that showed the run-up to the shooting, Baltimore Witness reported.
Charging documents describe a group allegedly ordering, “Don’t nobody move,” and telling victims to “run [their] pockets” before a scuffle broke out. One witness said the gunfire erupted after a fistfight. The same outlet reported that Bowman and others took off on dirt bikes after the shots, and that several victims were rushed to hospitals, including at least one person listed as critical but stable.
Stockton Street’s Ongoing Trouble With Gunfire
Early-September shootings are no stranger to North Stockton Street and the surrounding blocks. WMAR-2 News’ shooting tracker lists a Sept. 8, 2024, incident in the 1300 block of North Stockton, highlighting a pattern of gun violence along that stretch. Other local trackers and police logs show multiple shootings on nearby streets in recent years.
What Could Happen Next
It remains unclear whether prosecutors will refile the dismissed firearm counts or pursue other charges in the case; no new filings were immediately apparent. Maryland practice allows judges to enter judgments of acquittal when the evidence is insufficient and requires the court to spell out which counts are affected, as detailed in a Maryland appellate opinion on Justia.
For now, court records and any forthcoming statements from the State’s Attorney’s Office will dictate where the Stockton Street case goes from here.
