In the early morning hours of August 18, 2020, the quiet of a Catonsville neighborhood was shattered by the sound of gunfire, leaving a young man dead and a community in shock. Just before 12:30 a.m., Baltimore County Police were called to the 200 block of Garden Ridge Road for a reported shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Charles Anthony Green Jr., a 27-year-old male from Baltimore, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Despite the immediate response from emergency services, Green was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators quickly learned that an argument had preceded the fatal shooting. According to police reports, Green had been involved in a dispute with three individuals who were then seen fleeing the area in a white vehicle immediately after the shots were fired. The homicide unit of the Baltimore County Police Department took charge of the investigation, seeking any information from the public that could lead to the identification and capture of those responsible for this violent act.
Ten days after the tragic incident, a breakthrough in the case was announced. On August 28, 2020, Baltimore County Police arrested 24-year-old Jaekwan Jacob Stephens of Baltimore and charged him with the first-degree murder of Charles Anthony Green Jr. Stephens was also charged with using a firearm in the commission of a felony or violent crime. He was subsequently held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center. While one suspect was in custody, the investigation continued as it was not immediately clear if the other two individuals who fled the scene had been identified or if they would face charges in connection with the murder.
