On the evening of June 30, 2022, 31-year-old Phillip Wallace, a Black male, was found shot to death in the driver's seat of an Acura RDX. The vehicle was located in the parking lot of Pimlico Elementary School in the 4800 block of Pimlico Road in Northwest Baltimore. Wallace had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his head and one to his arm and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators believe the fatal shooting occurred during an attempted carjacking.
Surveillance footage reviewed by the Baltimore Police Department showed Wallace in the driver's seat with two other individuals in the car, one in the passenger seat and another in the back. The footage captured muzzle flashes inside the vehicle, after which the two passengers were seen exiting and fleeing. One of the suspects returned to the car to retrieve an item before they both fled together.
In January 2023, authorities charged 23-year-old Aamir Benton with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with Wallace's death. Benton was already in custody at the Central Booking Intake Facility on unrelated charges at the time. The investigation continued, leading to the arrest of a second suspect, 18-year-old James Jenkins, on April 11, 2023. He faces the same charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Court proceedings for both suspects have been ongoing. A trial for Aamir Benton was scheduled for October 21, while James Jenkins' trial began in September 2024. During Jenkins' trial, his defense attorney argued that Benton was the sole perpetrator who shot Wallace multiple times. The prosecution presented video evidence showing Wallace, Benton, and Jenkins at a nearby convenience store before the shooting. Both Benton and Jenkins remained held at the Central Booking Intake Facility.
