A man was convicted for the shooting of the mother of his child and the killing of one of her friends during a violent custody fight that played out on a Baltimore lawn, the Baltimore State's Attorney's Office said.
Jivon Brown was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime, reckless endangerment, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
On July 5, 2017, police responded to a reported shooting in the 2600 block of Roselawn Avenue at about 10:15 p.m. Responding officers found the body of Darryl Owens lying face down and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Owens was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.
Also at the scene, police found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. She was taken to an area hospital and released.
A police investigation revealed the woman who was shot had been in a relationship with Brown, and the two had a child together, over who they were fighting about custody and visitation.
On the day of the shooting, the woman went to a home in the 2600 block of Roselawn Avenue to get her daughter, but Brown refused to give her up. A verbal and physical fight ensued between the woman and Brown's new girlfriend, causing multiple friends of the woman to attempt to break it up.
As the friends entered the fray, Brown went inside and retrieved a .380 handgun. He came back outside and started shooting. An unarmed Owens was shot five times in the back, and the woman was struck by a bullet. Brown is not allowed to possess a weapon because of a previous conviction.
Brown faces a maximum 40 years in prison when he is sentenced on Aug. 29.
