On the night of Saturday, March 23, 2019, 18-year-old Elijah Baker, a male from Gloucester County, was fatally shot at a party in Locust Hill, Virginia. The event took place at a residence on General Puller Highway, where a 911 call was made around 11:52 p.m. reporting a party with underage individuals and the smell of marijuana. The caller also expressed concern about a group of males from Lancaster County who were reportedly trying to instigate a fight.
A subsequent call to 911 from the same location reported that someone had been shot.
Upon their arrival, Middlesex County Sheriff's deputies discovered Elijah Baker with a gunshot wound to his torso. Despite life-saving efforts by the deputies, Baker succumbed to his injuries. The investigation that followed revealed that a group of uninvited individuals from Lancaster County had arrived at the party. Witnesses stated that a handgun was being passed around among this group. An altercation began between Baker and one of the uninvited individuals, which escalated when other members of the group joined in, verbally and physically threatening Baker. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, a witness pushed Baker into a room, but the aggressors broke through the door. Baker then escaped through a window and ran towards his truck parked in the backyard. As he reached his vehicle, the group ran out of the back door and multiple shots were fired at him, resulting in his death.
The investigation led to five individuals being charged in connection with Elijah Baker's death. Among them was 18-year-old Kemonte Deshaune Smith of White Stone and four juveniles. One of the juveniles was 16-year-old Tariq Joel Beane of Merry Point. All five were initially charged with first-degree murder. However, in May 2019, the murder charge against Kemonte Deshaune Smith was withdrawn.
Tariq Joel Beane, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, was tried as an adult. In October 2019, a Middlesex County Circuit Court jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. In February 2020, Beane was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder and a mandatory three years for the firearm charge, for a total of 33 years of incarceration. The legal outcomes for the other three juveniles, who were charged with first-degree murder by mob, have not been publicly disclosed.
