An eyewitness told jurors Tuesday that a red-haired woman opened fire on 25-year-old Davion Hodges inside an Edmondson Avenue apartment last September, testimony prosecutors say points straight at the woman sitting at the defense table. The witness recalled hearing one gunshot, seeing Hodges on the floor, then hearing a second shot before scrambling out a bedroom window to escape. Proceedings continued in Baltimore City Circuit Court and are set to resume on Wednesday.
Witness Describes Chaos Inside the Apartment
Taking the stand, the witness said they were in a bedroom when a loud argument started between Hodges and a woman in the living room and kitchen area. They testified that they heard a single gunshot, opened the bedroom door, and saw Hodges lying on the floor. According to the witness, a second shot followed, and they climbed out the window because they feared for their life. The witness later gave a recorded statement and picked a person from a police photo array as the same woman shown in surveillance stills, according to Baltimore Witness.
Police Detail Charges After the Investigation
The Baltimore Police Department confirmed the arrest and formal charges against Tyjai Archer in an October 2025 news release. Archer is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, first-degree assault, and use of a firearm in a felony violent crime. The arrest appeared on a list of multiple homicide-related arrests and was tied to the Sept. 3, 2025, shooting on the 900 block of Edmondson Avenue, according to the Baltimore Police Department. The release also urged anyone with information to contact homicide detectives or Metro Crime Stoppers.
Detective Lays Out Travel Timeline for Jurors
Tuesday’s testimony unfolded before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Alan C. Lazerow, with jurors expected to hear from more witnesses on Wednesday. A detective told the court that the defendant allegedly bought a ticket to Philadelphia shortly after the incident, returned to Maryland four days later, and then went back to Philadelphia again, according to Baltimore Witness. Prosecutors said the travel timeline, paired with the eyewitness identifications, is central to their case.
The Night Hodges Was Killed
Officers were called to the 900 block of Edmondson Avenue shortly after 10 p.m. on Sept. 3, 2025, where police found Hodges suffering from gunshot wounds. He was later pronounced dead, according to local reporting and crime trackers. Hodges, 25, is listed among the September 2025 homicide victims in local coverage by WMAR-2 News. Authorities have shared little publicly about a possible motive as the trial moves forward.
What Archer Faces if Convicted
Archer faces the most serious homicide charges under Maryland law, and a conviction for first-degree murder can carry a sentence of life imprisonment under state statutes. The Baltimore Police Department’s October release lists the formal charges against Archer, and legal summaries of Maryland law note that first-degree murder can result in life in prison with or without the possibility of parole; see FindLaw for a summary of the statute. Archer remains presumed innocent while the court hears the state’s evidence.
Jury deliberations have not begun, and no verdict has been reached. The trial is scheduled to resume on Wednesday with additional witness testimony.
