On Feb. 18, 2021, a call for help in Northwest Baltimore sent officers to the 5100 block of Queensberry Avenue, where they found 40-year-old Justin Bucalo suffering from gunshot wounds. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Police response
According to a Baltimore Police Department news release reported by Baltimore Witness, officers were dispatched after reports of gunfire and found Bucalo with life-threatening wounds. Northwest District shooting detectives asked anyone with information to call 410-396-2466 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
Arrest and charges
Baltimore police later arrested a suspect in the case and charged him with murder, as reported by CBS Baltimore. Authorities say 25-year-old Jaqwaun Owens was taken into custody on the 3900 block of Dolfield Avenue and was booked on a first-degree murder charge.
Trial and sentence
Prosecutors told jurors the confrontation escalated from a dispute, and a jury convicted Owens of first-degree murder in May 2022, Baltimore Witness reported. At a November 2022 hearing a judge sentenced him to life in prison plus 20 years, with the first five years without parole, and family members delivered emotional impact statements describing the loss.
Why this matters
The Queensberry Avenue killing and the years of court work that followed show how street-level violence can ripple through families and neighborhoods long after an incident. For Bucalo’s relatives the conviction brought a measure of closure, while detectives continue to urge anyone with information about shootings to come forward to investigators.
