ESSEX, Md. — Tynell Dorsey was 20 years old when he was shot and killed in Essex in August 2001. Twenty-five years later, Baltimore County Police cold case investigators are turning to the public for answers.
Where a park with fields and a playground now stands on Old Eastern Avenue, the Village of Tall Trees apartment complex once stood; its red bricks demolished years ago.
Dorsey had moved to Maryland from the Long Beach, California area about a year and a half before the night he was killed. In the neighborhood, people knew him by the nickname "Cali."
On the night of the shooting, Dorsey had been outside with a group of friends near his apartment building before leaving to go to the store.
"The night that he got shot, he was actually hanging out with a group of friends outside of his apartment building. He leaves that group of friends to go to the store, and then that's when he's shot at some point,"Baltimore County Police cold case investigator Cpl. Dona Carter described.
Someone found Dorsey not far from his apartment building. First responders pronounced him dead at the scene.
No one called 9-1-1 for about 2 hours after the shooting. The area was known at the time for crime, and hearing gunshots was commonplace. It took someone seeing Dorsey on the ground and flagging down an officer just after 2:30 a.m.
"No cameras, no good description. Obviously the 2 to 2.5 hour window between when it happened and the police actually getting there was a big hindrance," Carter said.
Investigators explored several theories over the years, including a possible fight, retaliation, or a connection to a romantic partner. None of those theories led to a resolution.
Baltimore County Police keep a stack of three binders dedicated to this case. Investigators believe people with direct knowledge of what happened that night are still out there.
"There are definitely witnesses out there, and there are people who actually know what happened, not just people that are guessing. So we just need somebody to come forward and give us the information that we need in order to push this case forward," Carter said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Baltimore County Police at 410-887-3943.
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