In the late hours of a Friday night, the quiet of a Pikesville, Maryland neighborhood was shattered by a single gunshot. On July 23, 2021, 26-year-old Errol N. Davis, a resident of Woodlawn, was found slain in the 6900 block of Brookmill Road, near the Baltimore City line. First responders arrived just before midnight to discover Davis inside his vehicle, which had come to a stop on a sidewalk and an embankment.
He was suffering from a single gunshot wound to the back of his head and was pronounced dead at the scene.
From the outset, investigators with the Baltimore County Police Department believed the shooting was not a random act of violence, but rather a targeted attack. For a time, the case remained unsolved, with authorities appealing to the public for any information that could lead to an arrest. The investigation into the violent death of the young father continued, leaving a family and community searching for answers and justice.
A break in the case eventually led to the arrest of Deon Sheridan Smith, Jr. In November 2023, Smith stood trial before a jury in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, facing multiple charges related to the armed robbery and murder of Errol Davis. The court heard that another individual, Antwoine West, was also with Davis at the time of the incident and was the victim of a first-degree assault.
The trial concluded with the jury finding Deon Sheridan Smith, Jr. guilty of first-degree felony murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and the use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. For the murder of Errol Davis, the court imposed a sentence of life in prison. Smith also received concurrent sentences of twenty years for the armed robbery and the firearm conviction. Following the verdict, an appeal was noted in March 2025, seeking a review of the convictions and the sentencing.
