A Baltimore judge declared a mistrial Thursday after a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict in the case of a man accused of opening fire at the Edmondson Village shopping center in 2023. killing one high school student and injuring four others.

Daaon Spears, 18, of Edmondson Village, faced charges including first-degree murder in mass shootingswhich happened on January 4, 2023, in front of the Popeyes in the mall. At the time, he was 16 years old.

Deanta Dorsey, a 16-year-old junior at nearby Edmondson-Westside High School, was killed in the shooting.

His obituary described him as a quiet, loving child who enjoyed playing basketball and video games and eating cereal with milk. His loved ones affectionately called him “Dink.”

Circuit Judge Robert K. Taylor Jr. presided over the trial. The jurors deliberated for two days.

“We will review the case and the evidence presented at trial, as well as any additional evidence, and after speaking with the families of the victims, we will determine the best course of action to ensure justice for all,” said Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates. in a statement.

During closing arguments Wednesday, Assistant State’s Attorney Rita Wisthoff-Ito played more than a half-dozen video clips that she says pieced together the moments leading up to the killing and the hours after. shot. She asked jurors to note the similarities between two figures in each of the clips, including the clothes they wore and the way they walked.

Wisthoff-Ito told jurors they don’t need every piece of the puzzle to see the big picture.

Spears and his co-defendant, Bryan Johnson, met, opened fire and fled the scene, Wisthoff-Ito said. She said they changed clothes and were seen together a few hours later.

Johnson, 18, of Shipley Hill, remains charged with first-degree murder and related offenses. He was also 16 at the time of the shooting.

Spears’ attorney, Brandon Taylor, argued that the state failed to prove his client’s connection to the crime and the victims. Neither DNA nor fingerprints were found on the physical evidence collected at the scene.

Taylor noted that it would have been helpful to hear from the four teenagers who survived the shooting, but they did not testify.

Investigators “didn’t follow their evidence,” Taylor said. Instead, he said, “they followed their theory.”

The shooting sent shockwaves through Baltimore at a time when the city is grappling with a devastating wave of gun violence affecting young people.

Dorsey’s death prompted it calls for sweeping changes to the Edmondson Village Shopping Center and for the Baltimore police to devote as many resources to solving the case as they would if it happened in a whiter, wealthier neighborhood.

An attorney for the Dorseys, Thiru Vignarajah, later reported that their the house had been trashed hours after they appeared at a press conference.

“This family has a deep reservoir of strength and patience. They have waited a long time for justice,” Vignarajah said in an interview after the trial was dismissed. “And they’re prepared to wait a little longer.”