In the early morning hours of May 20, 2017, the life of 20-year-old Eddie Jerome Ragland was tragically cut short in a shooting at the intersection of Noland Drive and Sherman Avenue in Hagerstown, Maryland. Ragland was one of two men shot while sitting in the backseat of a Nissan. The other man, Jaseye Stephens, was wounded but survived the attack.
Also in the vehicle were two women in the front seats and a baby in the backseat, none of whom were physically harmed.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led police to identify Jason Scott Carter II as the suspected shooter. Witnesses at the scene identified Carter, and he was placed under surveillance. On May 23, 2017, Carter, who was 18 years old at the time, was arrested and taken in for questioning. During his interview with detectives, Carter implicated himself in the shooting that resulted in Ragland's death and Stephens' injuries. Another individual, Easton Blickenstaff, was identified as the driver of the vehicle from which Carter fired the shots.
Subsequent legal proceedings revealed that Carter and Blickenstaff had gone to the Noland Village area with the intention of targeting someone they believed to be a person named Dalvin. However, they mistakenly targeted the vehicle carrying Ragland and his companions. Blickenstaff was accused of driving the car that pulled up next to the Nissan, allowing Carter to get out and fire multiple shots into the backseat.
Jason Scott Carter II was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and other related offenses, including first and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and firearms offenses. Easton Blickenstaff was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and conspiracy, among other charges. He was sentenced to life in prison with all but forty years suspended.
