LANSDOWNE, Md. — On a Tuesday afternoon in February 2026, Kiambe Trueheart struggled to find the words.
"Devastating. Painful. Hurtful."
A tissue box accompanied her as she spoke with WMAR-2 News. She remembered Kwame Grissom, her 25-year-old son, as a devoted family man who was turning his life around.
"He was an excellent son, brother, father, he loved his family. He had his flaws, but he was getting his life together," Trueheart said.
On Christmas Day 2016, a little over nine years ago, Kwame asked to drive to Bigley Avenue in Lansdowne. He knew several people in that area.
Hours later, Trueheart received an urgent call to rush to St. Agnes Hospital.
"I told everybody in my car, put your seatbelts on. We're going on high-speed chase. I don't care if the police get behind me. I'm not stopping at no red lights, no stop signs. I'm not stopping until I get to St. Agnes," Trueheart said.
Kwame Grissom was pronounced dead at the hospital. The father of a 6-year-old daughter had been developing an interest in auto mechanics, and was beloved by family and friends.
Her son's death forever changed how Trueheart views the holiday season.
"I can't do Christmas. I don't celebrate Christmas. I hate Christmas. It used to be my favorite holiday, but I hate it," she said.
Corporal Ryan Massey, a 27-year veteran of the Baltimore County Police Department, investigated the case initially. He says Grissom was shot near a bus that had been converted into a convenience store.
Despite limited physical evidence, he believes the case is solvable.
"His mother loved him dearly, everybody said he was nice. He was a good friend to people, including some of the people that were present at the scene of the murder," Massey said.
The investigation has stalled due to lack of witness cooperation, according to Massey.
"It's gone unsolved because people aren't cooperating, specifically one of the witnesses that the victim knows," Massey told WMAR-2 News. "We did receive an anonymous call from someone, the day after this happened. If they could reach out again they said they would be available for phone calls. I attempted to call them several times to get additional information about what happened, but I was never able to reach them."
Trueheart, meantime, continued to appeal for anyone with information to come forward.
"I just need someone to speak up, to speak out. The people who knew Kwame knew the type of gentleman he was. We just want help. We need help," Trueheart said.
Anyone with information about Kwame Grissom's death is asked to call Baltimore County Police homicide detectives at 410-887-3943.
