A Bethesda man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after a Baltimore County jury convicted him in a broad-daylight drive-by that killed a Dundalk man in 2022. Yesterday, 40-year-old Keith Brian Russell was sentenced to life in prison plus 45 years after jurors found him guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, conspiracy, and use of a firearm in a crime of violence. Circuit Court Judge Keith R. Truffer imposed the stacked sentence immediately after Russell elected to be sentenced on the spot, closing what officials describe as a nearly four-year investigation that rattled a tight-knit neighborhood.
The jury convicted Russell of first-degree premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and the use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. Judge Truffer ordered life imprisonment plus an additional 45 years following the verdict, according to CBS Baltimore.
Police say the shooting unfolded on the afternoon of March 2, 2022, on the 1900 block of Ewald Avenue in Dundalk. Officers were called around 2:30 p.m. and found 43-year-old Tayvon Scott suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later died. Neighbors told reporters they heard what sounded like a barrage of gunfire and saw a man leaning out of a van as people rushed in to help, according to EastBaltCo.
Investigation and prosecution
Prosecutors say two people opened fire on Scott from both the driver and passenger seats of a vehicle, one wielding a .223 rifle and the other a .45 handgun. The case quickly grew far beyond one block in Dundalk, pulling in investigators from Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties, as well as the ATF and the FBI…