Second Defendant Convicted in 2019 Triple Shooting that Killed Sixteen-Year-Old and Wounded Two Bystanders
NOTE: The Maryland Office of the Attorney General shared the following press release:
BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today announced the conviction of 29-year-old Diamante Teal of Baltimore City for the first-degree murder of a 16-year-old juvenile and the non-fatal shooting of two bystanders on July 11, 2019. The triple shooting occurred outside a shopping center in the 5600 block of The Alameda at 6:50 p.m. Teal was also convicted for his involvement in an armed robbery at a restaurant on June 17, 2019. Two others have been charged for their involvement in the triple shooting, including getaway driver Phillip Morton, who was previously convicted in March 2026, and William Stewart, alleged to be the second shooter, who is scheduled for trial in October 2026.
After a 6-day jury trial before the Honorable Dana M. Middleton of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, on Monday, May 11, 2026, the jury found Teal guilty of all charges, including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, and two counts of first-degree assault. Teal was also convicted of robbery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of first-degree assault, and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence for the robbery of the carry out restaurant.
“No family should have to bury a sixteen-year-old, no Marylander should be shot for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and no community should have to live in fear of the kind of brazen, senseless violence that Diamante Teal inflicted on The Alameda,” said Attorney General Brown. “This conviction underscores that our Office will always hold accountable those who bring bloodshed and terror to Maryland’s streets.”
Evidence at trial revealed that, on July 11, 2019, in broad daylight, the 16-year-old victim, was walking by the Subway store at the 5600 block of The Alameda, when he was ambushed by two shooters, including Teal. A third suspect, the driver, identified as codefendant Phillip Morton, pulled the getaway vehicle into a nearby Exxon Gas Station, as Teal and the other shooter exited the vehicle and fired a total of 24 rounds at the victim using an assault-style rifle and a 40-caliber handgun. Morton waited for the shooters in the getaway vehicle during the shooting, and then all fled the scene immediately after.
The victim was shot three times and pronounced dead approximately two hours later at Johns Hopkins. Two women who were patronizing the shopping center were also struck by gunfire and survived their injuries. One, who was waiting in line with her daughter, was struck in her leg, and the other victim was struck in her ear, narrowly avoiding potentially fatal injuries.
The jury heard evidence that 18 .223 caliber shell casings were located at the scene, consistent with being fired from a gold-spray-painted assault-style rifle that the State argued Teal used in the murder. The jury saw photographs of Teal holding the spray-painted assault style rifle on prior occasions. Teal was also observed wearing distinctive blue shoes in the surveillance of the murder, which were consistent with the blue shoes he was wearing when he was arrested.
The jury was also shown phone and social media evidence where Teal appeared to be searching for the victim telling an associate, “I’m on his ass.” Teal allegedly fled to Ohio shortly after the murder, and when his sister asked why he left, he sent her a screen shot of a news article about the triple shooting.
Teal was also convicted of an armed robbery at the Baltimore’s Best Wings, a carryout restaurant. The jury heard evidence that on June 17, 2019, Teal and an accomplice robbed a husband and wife, the owners of the restaurant, at gun point. The jury saw surveillance footage of a man the State identified as Teal wearing the same blue shoes and wielding the same gold spray-painted assault-style rifle that was used at the triple shooting less than a month later. The restaurant is currently closed.
The jury deliberated for approximately five hours before returning a guilty verdict on all counts. Sentencing is set for August 13, 2026, before the Honorable Dana M. Middleton and Teal will remain incarcerated without bond until that date. He is facing the possibility of life for both first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder as well as up to 160 years of incarceration for the remaining charges.
Teal was the second codefendant convicted for his involvement in the triple shooting. On Monday, March 23, 2026, a jury convicted 28-year-old Phillip Morton of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first degree murder, and related charges. Morton was convicted after a 6-day jury trial before the Honorable Jeffrey M. Geller of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.
Investigators were able to use video surveillance to identify the suspect vehicle, which contained Morton’s DNA. Additionally, investigators obtained Morton’s cellphone and located a video taken 34 minutes before the homicide that showed all occupants inside of the suspect vehicle in which they were wearing clothes that matched the clothes in surveillance from the crime scene.
The jury in Morton’s case was shown a letter written by Morton in which he admitted to committing a homicide as a result of an on-going conflict with individuals at The Alameda. The letter was intercepted by law enforcement during the investigation.
The jury deliberated for approximately five hours before returning a guilty verdict in Morton’s case. Sentencing for Morton is set for August 11, 2026, before the Honorable Jeffrey Geller, and Morton will remain incarcerated without bond until that date. He is facing the possibility of life for both first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder as well as up to 70 years of incarceration for the remaining charges.
A third codefendant, William Stewart, alleged to be the second shooter in the triple shooting, is currently set for trial in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City on October 13, 2026, and will remain incarcerated without bond until that date.
In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Brown thanked Criminal Division Chief, Katie Dorian, Organized Crime Unit Chief Paul Halliday, Director of Victim Services Tiffany Bright, and Assistant Attorneys General Kenneth Joy and Jacey Sheckells, who prosecuted the case. Attorney General Brown also thanked Baltimore Police Department Commissioner Richard Worley and Special Agent in Charge of the Baltimore Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Charles Doerrer, and the detectives and agents who worked tirelessly on this case, especially ATF Special Agent Brendan Plasha, Task Force Officer Shawn Reichenberg, and BPD Detective Eric Perez. Attorney General Brown also thanked U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes and State’s Attorney for Baltimore City Ivan J. Bates for their offices’ assistance in this prosecution.