In the late hours of a summer evening in Baltimore, tragedy befell 18-year-old Robert Michael Wagner Jr. On August 17, 2023, the young Black man was shot in the 600 block of West Cherry Blossom Way. Responding to a report of a car crash around 11:35 p.m., officers discovered Wagner inside one of two damaged vehicles in the 700 block of West Saratoga Street, suffering from gunshot wounds.
He was immediately transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Despite medical efforts, Wagner succumbed to his injuries on August 23, 2023. Born on February 7, 2005, his life was cut short by this act of violence. Investigators determined that the initial shooting occurred on West Cherry Bloom Way, where they located a crime scene. The incident was investigated as a homicide, prompting a search for those responsible for the young man's death.
Months later, on November 30, 2023, an arrest was made in connection with the fatal shooting. A 15-year-old, identified as Samijae Canada, was taken into custody and charged with the first-degree murder of Robert Wagner. Due to the severity of the charges, which also included felony firearm use and firearm possession as a minor, Canada was to be tried as an adult.
During the trial, which took place in June 2025, prosecutors presented hours of surveillance video evidence. The footage allegedly showed a group of Black males approaching Wagner's vehicle, with Canada being the only one armed. The prosecution argued that the video tracked Canada's movements before and after the incident. They also presented evidence of Canada allegedly being seen with a firearm and later attempting to hide it from police. A forensic DNA analyst testified to finding what was likely Canada's DNA on a firearm recovered by police. The defense, however, argued that the surveillance footage was too blurry to definitively identify Canada as the shooter and contested the timeline presented by the prosecution.
