Sadik Griffin, a 22-year-old Black male, was fatally shot on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, in Baltimore, Maryland. The shooting occurred in the 3800 block of Elmley Avenue and marked the end of a 12-day period without any homicides in the city. Griffin was a former football player, having won a championship with the Eastside Raiders in 2010. He was known to be a quiet and thoughtful person who enjoyed reading, playing basketball, and listening to rap music.
The investigation into his death
led police to identify Gilbert M. Gardner, then 23, as a suspect. Two days after the shooting, on February 15, 2018, officers executed a search warrant at a residence, where they found five guns and narcotics. Gardner was arrested and subsequently charged with first-degree murder, as well as gun and drug offenses. He was held without bail.
According to court records, the evidence presented at trial included testimony from a witness who heard five or six gunshots. This witness then saw an African-American male running quickly up an alleyway away from the scene. Security camera footage from the area captured a silver BMW driving away from the 3800 block of Elmley Avenue around the time of the shooting.
Gilbert Gardner was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. He later appealed his conviction, but the appellate court affirmed the judgments.
