In the early morning hours of December 3, 2023, a dispute in a north Baltimore home escalated into a tragedy that claimed the lives of two men. Michael DeAndrea Saffold Jr., a 28-year-old Black male, and Phillip Brown, also 28, were inside a residence on the 3600 block of Greenmount Avenue when a verbal argument broke out with another man. The argument is believed to be domestic in nature.
Shortly before 3 a.m., the altercation turned violent, and both Saffold and Brown were shot multiple times.
When police officers responded to reports of the shooting, they discovered the two men in a hallway inside the house. One of the victims was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later. The initial investigation pointed towards an unidentified male suspect who had been involved in the argument with Saffold and Brown.
Following an investigation, Baltimore Police detectives identified 28-year-old Lamonte Sherman as the suspect in the double homicide. On January 23, 2024, Sherman was arrested in the 1500 block of Wadsworth Way and taken to the Central Booking Intake Facility. He was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of firearm use in a felony or violent crime.
Lamonte Sherman's case has proceeded through the court system, facing a couple of postponements. A plea deal that would have resulted in a 60-year prison sentence was offered to Sherman, but he rejected it. A trial for the murders of Michael Saffold and Phillip Brown was scheduled to begin in October.
