In the late hours of a summer evening in Baltimore, Maryland, the life of 22-year-old Trey Sean Sanders was tragically cut short. On July 26, 2024, at approximately 11:37 p.m., police responded to a call for a shooting in the 1000 block of North Eden Street. Upon their arrival, they discovered Sanders suffering from multiple life-threatening gunshot wounds.
Despite the immediate efforts of medics at the scene, he was pronounced deceased.
Investigations into the shooting revealed that Sanders had been at a cookout with four other individuals. As the group was returning to their vehicle, a 2014 Acura MDX SUV, an altercation occurred. Sanders had entered the front passenger side of the vehicle when one of the individuals reopened his door. After Sanders exited the vehicle and moved towards the rear passenger door, another individual, identified as 16-year-old Xyliq Synzere, emerged from the back driver's seat. Synzere then allegedly approached Sanders and shot him multiple times in the head with a 9mm handgun.
The investigation led police to video surveillance footage from a nearby liquor store. Still images from this footage were disseminated, and several individuals who were aware of the shooting identified Synzere as the person who shot Sanders. Subsequently, Xyliq Synzere, who was 17 by the time of his court proceedings, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, firearm use in a felony or violent crime, and having a loaded handgun on his person and in his vehicle.
Despite his age at the time of the offense, a judge determined that the charges against Synzere were too severe for the case to be transferred to juvenile court. A trial date for Synzere was set for July 23, 2025. The trial is expected to last five days.
