In the early morning hours of a Wednesday in mid-November, the life of Paul Lee, a 33-year-old Black man, was tragically cut short. On November 13, 2024, at approximately 8:50 a.m., Baltimore Police officers were dispatched to the Johnston Square Apartments on East Preston Street following a report of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Lee in the lobby of the apartment building, suffering from a gunshot wound.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but tragically succumbed to his injuries en route.
Lee, remembered by his family as a devoted father to his 10-year-old son, had been a resident of the building for two years. Described as a man of his word by his grieving mother, his family was left to grapple with the sudden and violent loss. The investigation into his death would soon reveal a series of systemic failures that his family believes cost him his life. The man who would be accused of his murder was not only a fellow resident of the same apartment building but was also a wanted fugitive.
Weeks after the fatal shooting, Baltimore police identified 62-year-old Tyrone Kirby Epps as the suspect in Paul Lee's murder. Investigators learned that Epps had been wanted on an outstanding warrant for a felony assault and home invasion that had occurred six months prior, in May 2024. Shockingly, that warrant was never served, allowing Epps to remain at large. Court documents for the May incident listed Epps's address as the very same apartment building where Lee was killed. Surveillance footage from the lobby on the morning of the murder reportedly captured a verbal altercation between Epps and Lee, which escalated to the point where Epps allegedly drew a firearm and shot Lee.
Following an investigation, Tyrone Kirby Epps was apprehended and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Paul Lee. His arrest brought to light a criminal history dating back to 1998, including a previous attempted murder charge that was later dropped. In the wake of his arrest for Lee's murder, it was reported that Epps had made a phone call on the morning of the shooting, admitting to the crime and stating that he was 'too old for jail.' He is currently awaiting trial.
