Four years after Baltimore police shot and killed 18-year-old Donnell Rochester, his mother was back in front of Baltimore City Hall this week, refusing to let his case fade from public view. The small anniversary rally served as both a memorial and a pressure campaign, as supporters called on state and city leaders to finally resolve lingering questions about prosecution and police discipline that have only grown more tangled since 2022.
At the microphone, Danielle Brown, Rochester’s mother, stood beside posters bearing her son’s image and urged Gov. Wes Moore and local officials to step in. “So we are standing here today demanding accountability from the mayor, the governor,” Brown said, according to The Baltimore Banner.
The shooting and official reviews
Rochester was shot on Feb. 19, 2022, after officers with the Baltimore Police Department’s Mobile Metro Unit tried to stop a car linked to outstanding warrants, and two officers opened fire on the vehicle. The Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) later concluded that the fatal fourth shot may have been unreasonable and said there was probable cause to charge an officer. Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates ultimately declined to bring criminal charges, as reported by the AP.
Investigators’ findings and the policy gap
Investigative records and body-camera footage show Officer Connor Murray fired four shots and Officer Robert Mauri fired two. Reporting based on IID documents indicates the round that proved fatal entered Rochester’s right arm and traveled into his chest, striking his lung and heart, according to Baltimore Beat.
The IID also noted that both officers had training that discouraged firing at moving vehicles. Advocates now point to a 2023 state law that expanded the Attorney General’s authority to prosecute police-involved killings, but it does not apply to older cases. Rochester’s family argues that this lack of retroactivity has effectively placed his shooting outside the reach of the state’s prosecutors.
Ongoing legal fight
Brown has turned to the civil courts in search of accountability. Filings in a federal lawsuit she brought were docketed in 2025 and include motions and rulings reflected in court records. Justia shows the suit names the state and at least one Baltimore Police Department officer…