A 15-year-old has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a security guard during an altercation at a McDonald’s in Northwest Baltimore earlier this month, according to Baltimore Police.
Detectives arrested the teenager in a home in the 1500 block of North Smallwood Street on Tuesday. The suspect was taken to the Central Booking Intake Facility, where he has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder.
The security guard, 38-year-old Jamal Davis, was armed during the altercation in the restaurant’s doorway Jan. 12. Police said that the confrontation ultimately led to Davis being shot.
Police responded that day at 4:04 p.m. to the McDonald’s at 4401 Reisterstown Road and found the security guard, who’d been on duty in the restaurant, suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Maryland law requires anyone 14 or older to be automatically charged as an adult for first-degree murder, first-degree rape and first-degree sex offenses.
The list of offenses automatically charged in adult court for minors 16 years or older includes second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter; second-degree rape and second- and third-degree sex offenses; abduction and kidnapping; carjacking; attempted and actual robbery with a dangerous weapon; first-degree assault and all firearms offenses.
Davis, a father of two, worked as a guard for Cameo Consultant Co., according to the Baltimore-area security agency’s CEO, Carlos Moorer.
“We acknowledge the diligent efforts of the Baltimore Police Department in handling this case to provide some form of closure for the family,” Moorer said in a text to The Baltimore Sun. “While we welcome the news of Jamal’s murderer being apprehended, we recognize that this is just the initial phase. Our hope is that the judicial system will act justly and hold all responsible parties accountable. We ask for the public’s continued prayers for his children and family.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for Davis’ family and had over $6,000 in donations as of Tuesday afternoon.
Sun reporter Dan Belson contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich.