Two Baltimore men have been charged with attempted murder in a drive-by shooting that wounded a teenage boy outside the McDonald's on McClean Boulevard in Parkville, nearly eight months after the attack. Leon Smith, 23, and Renard Pace, 25, were both ordered held without bond following their arrests, according to court records.
The shooting happened on January 3 at around 7:30 p.m. outside the fast-food restaurant in the 7300 block of McClean Boulevard, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. The teenage victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his legs and was taken to an area hospital in stable condition, as reported by CBS News. Hoodline previously reported on the shooting and the department's initial appeal for witnesses in our earlier coverage of the incident.
Baltimore County police described the shooting as retaliation for a fight that broke out at the same restaurant the day before, on January 2, according to WBFF. Investigators say members of the victim's group had spat on and mocked Smith during that earlier altercation, and video of the confrontation circulated on social media in the days that followed. The station reports that Smith later posted online, “See who really get the last laugh 100,” a message investigators have tied to the retaliatory shooting.
Charges and Court Proceedings
Smith faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault, per the station's report. Pace faces the identical set of charges: attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault. A judge ordered both men held without bond as the case moves forward, the outlet notes.
Under Maryland Criminal Code § 2-205, attempted first-degree murder is a felony punishable by up to life imprisonment in state prison, according to the Maryland General Assembly, and that charge requires prosecutors to prove deliberate premeditation. A conviction for attempted second-degree murder, which applies to intentional acts committed without advance planning, carries a statutory penalty of up to 30 years in prison under Maryland Criminal Code § 2-206, according to Greenberg Law Offices. Both men now face significant felony exposure as the case proceeds.
Investigation Took Nearly Eight Months
The arrests came nearly eight months after the shooting, reflecting a lengthy investigation by Baltimore County police. In the days after the attack, Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland offered an anonymous cash reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment, according to the county police department. Parkville falls under Baltimore County Police Department Precinct 8, a district covering 16.71 square miles that recorded two homicides during 2025, per CBS News.
Part of a Broader Decline in Violence
The case comes even as Baltimore County has seen violent crime fall sharply in recent years. The county recorded 28 homicides in 2025, a 49% drop from 55 homicides in 2021 and a five-year low, according to Police1. Nonfatal shootings countywide dropped more than 45% over the same period, falling from 75 to 41 cases, while police reported a 95% clearance rate for nonfatal shootings in 2025. Statewide, homicides declined by 44% and non-fatal shootings fell by 40% between 2022 and 2025 following public safety investments touted by the Office of Governor Wes Moore.
Even against that backdrop of declining violence, the Parkville case illustrates how a dispute captured on video and amplified on social media can escalate into gunfire on a busy commercial strip. The Baltimore County Police Department, led by Chief Robert McCullough, operates 10 precincts serving more than 800,000 residents across 612 square miles. It remains unclear whether either Smith or Pace has entered a plea in the case.
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