Reazon Owens-Green

Just two days before Christmas, the promise of a young life was violently extinguished on a street in West Baltimore. Reazon Owens-Green, a 20-year-old Black man, was shot and killed on Saturday, December 23, 2017. His death was a tragic chapter in what was one of the deadliest years in the city's history, a year that saw more than 340 homicides. For Reazon’s family, the holiday season would forever be marked by grief and the search for answers that have yet to come.

The incident occurred on the 600 block of North Dukeland Street in the Mosher neighborhood. The area, characterized by its brick rowhouses, is situated in a part of the city that has contended with violence. On that Saturday, Baltimore Police Department officers were called to the scene where they found Reazon suffering from gunshot wounds. The specific details of what led to the shooting have never been released by authorities, and it remains unclear if Reazon was the intended target or what the motive might have been. His life ended there on the cold pavement, another name added to a tragically long list of the city's slain.

The investigation into Reazon Owens-Green’s murder was launched by the Baltimore Police Department's homicide unit. Detectives canvassed the area for evidence and sought potential witnesses who might have seen or heard something that could lead to a suspect. However, the initial investigation did not result in any publicly identified persons of interest or arrests. Like many similar cases in the city, the trail of information seemed to go cold, leaving investigators with few leads to pursue.

In the years since Reazon’s death, his case has remained open but unsolved. No suspects have been named, no arrests have been made, and the case has been classified as a cold case homicide. For his family and community, the lack of resolution is a persistent source of pain. The silence surrounding the investigation leaves a void, with fundamental questions about his final moments unanswered. Who was responsible for taking the life of a young man just as his adult life was beginning, and why?

The loss of Reazon Owens-Green is remembered as part of the devastating toll of violence that plagued Baltimore in 2017. His name is included in memorials listing the 343 individuals who lost their lives to homicide that year. Each name represents a story cut short and a network of family and friends left to navigate a world without their loved one. The absence of justice in Reazon's case compounds their suffering, a wound that cannot begin to heal until those responsible are held accountable.

The Baltimore Police Department continues to seek information that could lead to a breakthrough in this unsolved murder. The case of Reazon Owens-Green remains a somber reminder of the human cost of gun violence and the enduring quest for justice. As of today, his killer or killers remain free, and a family continues to wait for the day when they will have answers and some measure of closure for their profound loss.