In the early morning hours of May 11, 2016, the body of 21-year-old Keonte Gaskins was discovered in an outdoor stairwell of the Village of Mitchell Pond Apartment Complex on Parsons Road in Salisbury, Maryland. Residents of the apartment complex found the fully clothed young man and alerted authorities at approximately 6:45 a.m. Emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene and pronounced Gaskins deceased, having sustained apparent gunshot wounds.
One witness later reported hearing gunshots shortly after midnight that same day. The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit was called in to assist the Salisbury Police Department with the investigation.
The investigation into the death of Keonte Gaskins led to the arrests of two 18-year-old Salisbury men, Gerald Ogress Savage, Jr. and Joshue Isiah Perry, on May 29, 2016. Both men faced charges of first- and second-degree murder, as well as several firearm-related offenses. A third individual, 21-year-old Daquan Cartier Dickerson, was also implicated in the crime. The investigation revealed that the three men had driven to the apartment complex to confront Gaskins in connection with an earlier robbery, although it was later determined that Gaskins was not involved in that incident.
The legal proceedings that followed saw Dickerson's accomplices, Perry and Savage, plead guilty to charges including first- and second-degree murder. They also testified during Dickerson's trial. Surveillance footage captured the moments when Dickerson and Perry approached the stairwell and opened fire upon seeing Gaskins. It was reported that Dickerson fired multiple rounds into the stairwell area, with at least five bullets striking Gaskins.
Ultimately, a jury convicted Daquan Dickerson of second-degree murder. He was later sentenced to 100 years in prison for his role in the killing of Keonte Gaskins. The accomplices, Joshua Perry and Gerald Savage, Jr., also faced legal consequences for their involvement in the tragic event.
