Second Murder Trial Begins for Daaon Spears in Shooting That Killed 16-Year-Old

Family members of 16-year-old Deonta (spelled Deanta in some reports) Dorsey sat in Cummings Courthouse this week as prosecutors replayed heart‑wrenching 911 calls and showed graphic autopsy photos in the retrial of Daaon Spears, now 19, who is accused in the January 4, 2023 mass shooting outside the Popeyes at Edmondson Village Shopping Center. Assistant State’s Attorney Rita Wisthoff-Ito opened by asking jurors, “When you shoot somebody 16 times, what is your intent? Your intent is to kill.”

Baltimore Witness reports Spears faces 31 charges, including two counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted first-degree murder; CBS and Fox described the charges as first-degree murder, attempted murder and gun offenses. Spears previously stood trial in October 2023; that case ended in a mistrial after jurors could not reach a verdict. Baltimore Witness says Spears was arrested on Jan. 15, 2023, 11 days after the shooting.

The shooting occurred at approximately 11 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2023 on the 4400 block of Edmondson Avenue outside Popeyes, across the street from Edmondson-Westside High School. Fox and Baltimore Witness report officers located five victims on the ground, including Dorsey, a 16-year-old sophomore, who was shot 16 times, and four classmates who were wounded at the scene.

Prosecutors have built their case around multi-angle video footage and physical evidence. Fox reported charging documents stating video captured Spears entering and exiting his listed home, traveling to the crime scene and meeting up with a second shooter identified in charging papers as Bryan Johnson. Fox and WBFF said a crime lab technician testified about items recovered and photographed under a search and seizure warrant at Spears’ listed address, described as just over a half mile from the Popeyes on Edmondson Avenue, and that charging documents were filed the day after the warrant was executed.

Ballistics testimony has been a focal point of the retrial. Baltimore Witness reported that on Feb. 18 a ballistics examiner told Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lynn Stewart Mays she identified a Glock 19 as the weapon used in the homicide and that the same handgun was apparently used in three other crimes that followed Spears’ arrest. The examiner testified the handgun was recovered Dec. 5, 2023 during the arrest of another individual, and on redirect cautioned that two casings entered into evidence displayed oxidation and might be “artifacts,” which could mean only two guns, rather than three, were tied to the scene.

Reporting on the retrial’s start date varies: CBS covered family testimony and evidence on Feb. 17, Baltimore Witness reported ballistics testimony Feb. 18 with testimony set to resume Feb. 23, and a user-supplied note indicated the second trial began Feb. 20. Co-defendant Bryan Johnson, also 19 now, faces a 30-count indictment and is being prosecuted separately. The trial remains ongoing and no verdict has been returned.