In the winter of 2024, the life of 18-year-old Bryan Keith Stansbury Jr., a White male, was tragically cut short in his East Baltimore home. On the morning of December 10th, at approximately 9:50 a.m., Baltimore Police Department officers were dispatched to a residence in the 1100 block of Quantrill Way following reports of a shooting. Inside, they discovered the young man, known affectionately as 'Doodles,' unresponsive with a gunshot wound.
Despite the immediate response from emergency medical personnel, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initial reports and family accounts paint a picture of a heroic final act. Stansbury was at home with his grandmother and aunt when an intruder or intruders forced their way into the house. In a selfless effort to protect his grandmother, it is reported that he pushed her out of harm's way, taking the fatal bullet himself. The commotion of a violent entry, described by a neighbor as 'rumbling up the steps and all kinds of chaos,' preceded the single, tragic gunshot.
In the wake of the homicide, detectives began an intensive investigation. Their efforts led them to identify a suspect, 28-year-old Dewitt Jackson. Investigators reportedly used cellphone location records and identified a white Ford Explorer with a unique sticker, which Jackson allegedly drove to and from the crime scene, to link him to the murder. Further investigation revealed that the Ford Explorer, which had been reported stolen from Rosedale, was found intentionally set on fire in Clifton Park approximately 12 hours after the shooting. Jackson was arrested on February 3rd of the following year in connection with another matter.
Dewitt Jackson was subsequently charged with the first-degree murder of Bryan Stansbury. During a court hearing on October 3, 2025, Jackson was offered a plea deal of a life sentence with all but 60 years suspended, to be followed by five years of supervised probation. He rejected this offer. Following the rejected plea, a trial has been scheduled to begin on February 17, 2026. The community continues to mourn the loss of the young man, remembering his bravery and awaiting the conclusion of the legal proceedings.
