Daron Benjamin, 36, a Black man, was killed in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 28, 2019, in what police described as a deadly double shooting in South Baltimore. Late in the afternoon—around the start of evening rush—officers were dispatched to the 1200 block of Bayard Street after a report of gunfire. When they arrived, they found two people wounded by gunshots, the scene still raw and chaotic as first responders tried to sort out who needed help first and what had just unfolded.
Police said Benjamin was the person who did not survive. He was pronounced dead at the location, while the second victim, identified only as a 39-year-old man in the initial reporting, had injuries described as non-life-threatening. Investigators also noted that Benjamin was found in possession of a loaded handgun, a detail that added another sharp edge to the early picture of the case even as the larger “why” remained unanswered in public accounts.
As the scene shifted from emergency response to investigation, homicide detectives took control, working the shooting as a homicide and urging anyone with information to come forward. The information released publicly at the time through local media did not name any suspect, describe a shooter, or announce an arrest connected to the killing; instead, the reports emphasized the ongoing investigation and directed tipsters to Baltimore Police homicide detectives and Metro Crime Stoppers by phone or text.
