BALTIMORE — A jury has acquitted a man accused of murdering Baltimore City Safe Streets Worker Dante Barksdale last year.
Prosecutors say the ghost gun used in the slaying was found under Garrick Powell's car seat.
Despite having additional video and cell tower evidence placing Powell near the shooting scene, it still wasn't enough for the jury to convict.
"As we argued in openings statements, the video and cell site evidence placed the defendant in the area of the shooting," the State's Attorney's Office said in a statement following the verdict. "We believe that his presence coupled with the murder weapon - which was yet another ghost gun - being located under the defendant’s car seat was sufficient to find the defendant guilty."
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At the time of Powell's arrest, police had no motive but said the murder didn't appear to be random.
The case caught the attention of Mayor Brandon Scott, who considered Barksdale a friend and brother in the fight to save lives in Baltimore.
