On a Thursday afternoon, March 17, 2022, violence shattered the quiet of a Hagerstown, Maryland neighborhood, claiming the life of Jermaine Reed. The 27-year-old man was sitting in his car in the vicinity of Alexander and Dale Streets at about 4 p.m. when he was shot multiple times. First responders rushed him to Meritus Medical Center, but his wounds proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting led Hagerstown Police to identify and charge three men in
the days following the incident: Berquan Carroll, 23, of Hagerstown; Bradley Walker, 23, of Clear Spring; and Kevin Nunn, 27, of Walkersville. All three were charged with first-degree and second-degree murder, reckless endangerment, and various handgun offenses.
A fourth suspect, Kyeron Zamierer Cottingham, 27, of Walkersville, was also implicated in Reed's death. His case was the first of the four defendants to go to trial. Following a week-long trial, a jury found Cottingham guilty of first-degree murder and 17 other related offenses on June 28, 2024. Ahead of his trial, two of his co-defendants had already reached plea agreements with prosecutors, one of whom testified against Cottingham. The trial for the fourth individual charged in connection with the murder was anticipated to take place later in the summer of 2024.
