Paul Edwards Jr. was 40 years old when his death was ruled a homicide on Monday, November 4, 2019, about two months after he was found hurt in the 1900 block of Riggs Avenue in Baltimore. He died of blunt force injuries. The Baltimore Police Department investigated, and the Baltimore Sun's homicide database lists his death as a homicide.
According to WMAR-2 News, police were called to the 1900 block of Riggs Avenue at about 2:30 p.m.
on Saturday, September 7, 2019, "for a report of a person lying in the middle of the street." Officers "arrived to find the victim unresponsive with a bump on his head." WMAR reported that "it was unclear how he was injured," and medics took him to Shock Trauma. Police were told that he died on September 8, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner collected his body.
The autopsy changed the case. WMAR reported that the results "confirmed that the victim, 40-year-old Paul Edwards, Jr., died as a result of a beating." The Baltimore Sun's notes say Edwards "was found unresponsive on Sept. 7, 2019, and succumbed to his injuries," and that the November date "reflects the date his death was ruled a homicide." Because nearly two months passed between the afternoon he was found and the ruling, it is possible that some witnesses were never asked what they saw.
Very little else about him has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found for this story. The reports do not say where he lived, whether he was beaten on Riggs Avenue or somewhere else before he ended up in the street, or whether anyone reported seeing a fight. Paul Edwards is a common name, and many other men who share it, including a jazz drummer and several people who died elsewhere in 2019, appear in unrelated records.
Riggs Avenue is a residential street of rowhouses. A man lying in the middle of the street on a Saturday afternoon in early September would likely have been noticed by neighbors, drivers and people walking by, and someone may remember who he had been with earlier that day.
After the unrest of 2015, Baltimore recorded more than 300 homicides a year for eight straight years, and the share of killings that ended in an arrest fell sharply.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Paul Edwards Jr. could be found in news archives or public records. More than six years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was on or near the 1900 block of Riggs Avenue on September 7, 2019, or who knew Paul Edwards Jr. and heard about a fight or an argument that weekend, may have information that could help detectives. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call Baltimore Police homicide detectives at 410-396-2100, or leave an anonymous tip with Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland at 1-866-7LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587).
