In the winter of 2025, a grandmother's trip to her granddaughter's basketball game in Baltimore ended in a tragic and violent ambush that claimed her life and injured two others. 52-year-old Anntoinette Tunstall-Jennings, a Black female, was a beloved teacher's aide at Waverly Elementary School. On the evening of January 22, she had been cheering on her grandchild at a game hosted at Tunbridge School. A dispute erupted at the game, leading to the gymnasium being cleared.
What began as a childhood sporting event would soon escalate into a fatal confrontation.
Following the game, Tunstall-Jennings was driving with four other family members in her car, including her 29-year-old son and two of her grandchildren, aged 11 and 6. As they were stopped on York Road, just a few blocks from the school, their vehicle was ambushed. Surveillance footage captured the harrowing moments as individuals approached the car and opened fire. Anntoinette Tunstall-Jennings was fatally wounded and pronounced dead at the scene. Her son and 11-year-old granddaughter also sustained gunshot wounds but were expected to survive. The two younger children in the car were physically unharmed.
The investigation into the senseless act of violence led authorities to identify suspects who had also been at the basketball game. According to reports and reviewed CCTV footage, an altercation involving Tunstall-Jennings' family and a woman identified as Cassandra McRae had occurred at the game. Following the altercation, McRae was seen on video leaving the game, making a phone call, and getting into a gray sedan. This vehicle then followed Tunstall-Jennings' car.
In March 2025, the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office announced the indictment of two individuals in connection with the murder. Cassandra McRae and Tavon Singleton were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and multiple counts of attempted murder. Footage reportedly showed McRae approaching the victim's car and pointing it out to two male suspects. She was heard saying, “There they go right there, there they go right there,” just before one of the men opened fire. While McRae and Singleton were apprehended, a second male suspect involved in the shooting remained at large.
