Baltimore Police arrested a suspect in the shooting of two teenagers, one fatally, earlier this month by tracking a car he was seen opening fire from through cellular technology unique to its make, court records show.
The afternoon shooting May 25 in West Baltimore left Denzel Johnson, 17, dead and a 15-year-old boy injured, police said.
Officers and homicide detectives descended on the 900 block of North Dukeland Street, which is in Baltimore’s Mosher neighborhood, around 3:55 p.m. When they got there, they found Johnson and the 15-year-old wounded from gunfire. Medics took both of the teens to hospitals, but Johnson died at University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
Police arrested Korey Hopson, 22, the night of the shooting. He is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder, as well as attempted murder and firearms offenses, online court records show.
Online court records do not list an attorney for Hopson. The Baltimore Sun reached out to the Office of the Public Defender, in case he is being represented by one of its lawyers.
Detectives who reviewed “private video surveillance” saw someone in a white shirt opening fire from a rear passenger window of a white SUV, according to charging documents.
The investigators followed the vehcile’s movements on CitiWatch camera footage, eventually identifying its make, model and license plate number, charging documents say. They determined the 2023 Nissan Rogue had NissanConnect, a technology that uses AT&T cellular service to provide features like GPS, music and the ability to access the car’s controls remotely.
“Investigators reached out to AT&T … and requested near-live location data on this identifying number,” police wrote in charging documents. “Soon after, investigators began receiving location data leading investigators to the area of the suspect vehicle.”
Around 10 p.m. the night of the shooting, police canvassed a block in the city’s Hunting Ridge community, saw the car driving and moved in when it pulled next to a wooded area. When detectives approached the Nissan, its occupants fled into the woods, according to charging documents.
On the other side of the wooded tract, police caught up to the two male suspects, both of whom were wearing white t-shirts, charging documents say. One fled, eluding police; the other, Hopson, complied and was arrested.
According to the charging documents, detectives took Hopson to the homicide unit downtown and questioned him briefly before he requested a lawyer.
This article may be updated.