All Charges Dropped: Great Mills Shooting Suspect Found Not Guilty

LEONARDTOWN, Md. — One of five men charged in connection with a May 2025 shooting in Great Mills has been found not guilty on all counts following a bench trial in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court.

On Feb. 5, 2026, the court returned verdicts of not guilty for Dequan Marquis Spicer, 24, of Great Mills, who had faced eight counts of attempted murder — including four counts of attempted first-degree murder — along with 14 additional felony charges related to the shooting.

Spicer had been indicted on four counts each of attempted first- and second-degree murder, four counts of first-degree assault, four counts of second-degree assault, and firearm-related offenses including wearing, carrying and transporting a handgun.

The charges stemmed from a May 3, 2025 incident in the area of Chancellors Run Road and Pegg Road. According to the original sheriff’s office release, patrol deputies conducting proactive patrols heard gunfire in the early morning hours and responded to the scene, where they located a vehicle occupied by four adult males. Three of the occupants had sustained gunshot wounds, while the fourth was unharmed.

Investigators determined the shooting followed an altercation the previous evening. During the course of the investigation, Cameron David Louis Curtis, 22, of Valley Lee; Peyton James Robert Curtis, 20, of Callaway; Kareem Tyree Harris, 22, of Lexington Park; and Jayshawn Maurice Bartlett, 21, of Lexington Park, were arrested. Those three defendants remain incarcerated at the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center, and their cases are still pending.

Detectives later identified Spicer as a fourth suspect. He was located in North Carolina, extradited to St. Mary’s County on July 3, 2025, and served with an indictment warrant in August 2025.

Spicer was represented by Attorney Hassan Ahmed of The Law Office of Hassan Ahmed, LLC. Following the verdict, Ahmed stated the outcome was the result of extensive preparation and focus on the legal standards required to convict.

“Serious cases are won long before anyone walks into a courtroom,” Ahmed said. “Preparation, disciplined cross-examination, and understanding the elements of each charge made the difference here.”

Ahmed emphasized that each individual charge required the State to prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt. “No matter how many charges are filed, the State must still prove every element of every count,” he said.

After hearing testimony and reviewing the evidence during the bench trial, the court found the defense arguments persuasive and entered not guilty verdicts on all counts against Spicer.

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