In the afternoon hours of a Thursday in Southwest Baltimore, the life of 21-year-old Deontae Bluefort was tragically cut short. On February 9, 2017, at approximately 2:50 p.m., police responded to a call in the 200 block of North Hilton Street. There, they discovered Bluefort suffering from gunshot wounds. He was quickly transported to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he died shortly after arrival.
The investigation into the shooting death of the young man
commenced immediately, with Baltimore city police detectives from the homicide unit taking the lead. In the days following the incident, authorities publicly requested assistance in identifying two individuals who were seen in the vicinity of the shooting. The outreach for information continued, and nearly two months after Bluefort's death, his mother made a heartfelt plea to the community, asking for anyone with information to come forward and help bring justice for her son. She described her son as not being the type of person to deserve such a violent end and expressed her pain in knowing he was shot down and left to die.
A breakthrough in the case came with the arrest of Cory Williams. He was subsequently charged with first and second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and handgun violations related to the death of Deontae Bluefort. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that included surveillance footage from a store near the scene of the crime. The jury ultimately acquitted Williams of the first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges. However, he was found guilty of second-degree murder, use of a handgun in a crime of violence, and conspiracy to use a handgun in a crime of violence for his role in the death of Deontae Bluefort.
