Baltimore families honor Donnell Rochester with resources and HIV testing

Free food, housing information, health care resources and HIV testing filled Ames Memorial UMC on Baker Street as Baltimore families marked the fourth annual Donnell’s Day, turning a memorial for Donnell Rochester into a practical day of support. When a permit dispute with police forced part of the gathering inside the church, organizers kept the program moving and the outreach intact.

The event at 617 Baker St. drew neighbors and advocates who have made the annual observance about more than remembrance. Rochester’s mother, Danielle Brown, has said the day is meant to keep her son’s memory alive while continuing the fight for accountability and justice. Over four years, Donnell’s Day has become both a community resource and a public reminder that many Baltimore families are still organizing around police violence, grief and service.

Donnell Rochester was 18 when he was shot and killed by Baltimore police on Feb. 19, 2022, near Hillen Road and Chilton Street in Northwest Baltimore. He was a senior in high school and would have graduated in June 2022. The Maryland Office of the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division said officers Robert Mauri and Antoine Galloway were on patrol when they saw a vehicle tied to Rochester, whose registered owner had open warrants for failing to appear on a carjacking charge and for an alleged robbery. Officers Connor Murray and Joshua Lutz joined the pursuit, and the report said Murray fired the fatal shot after Rochester re-entered the vehicle and the car moved forward.

Rochester was pronounced dead at 3:41 p.m. that day. Baltimore police released body-worn camera footage on Feb. 25, 2022, and the Independent Investigations Division completed its investigation on July 27, 2022 before sending the report to State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby on Aug. 3, 2022. In January 2023, State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said no charges would be filed against the officers.

The attorney general’s report later concluded there was probable cause to charge Murray with second-degree murder or manslaughter. Rochester’s family formed Justice for Donnell and held weekly Thursday protests outside the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, keeping pressure on city leaders even as the case moved through official channels. At Donnell’s Day, the message was broader than one courtroom outcome: Baltimore families used the occasion to deliver services, gather neighbors and keep a painful case in public view.