Maryland Father Ambushed and Shot Dead Just Steps From Daughter’s Door During His Lunch Break, Suspect Convicted

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND — A young father who used his lunch break to visit his little girl was ambushed and shot in the back just feet from her apartment door, and Maryland prosecutors say the gunman has now been convicted of first-degree murder.

27-year-old Desmond Gardner was on break from his job with the Baltimore City Department of Public Works when he walked to see his daughter on Spelman Road in January 2023. Moments before reaching her door, three masked men stepped out and opened fire.

What prosecutors described as a cold, calculated ambush has now resulted in a major conviction.

Jury Finds 24-Year-Old Guilty in Deadly Ambush

After a five-day trial, a Maryland jury deliberated for three hours before convicting 24-year-old Anthony Curry of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and firearms charges.

Prosecutors said Curry was one of three masked attackers who waited for Gardner to arrive before shooting him from behind.

Officials emphasized how senseless the killing was — Gardner had simply wanted to spend a few minutes with his young daughter during his work break.

“He was steps from safety, steps from his child,” prosecutors said.
“They waited for him, and they ambushed him.”

Key Evidence: Instagram Photos, Cell Data, and a Hospital Visit

Investigators connected Curry to the murder through digital and physical evidence that prosecutors said was overwhelming.

According to the Maryland Attorney General:

• Instagram photos showed Curry wearing the same pants seen in surveillance footage of the ambush.
• Cellphone tracking placed Curry at George Washington Hospital Trauma Center, receiving treatment for a gunshot wound to the leg hours after the murder — matching the AG’s findings that one of the suspects was accidentally shot by another during the attack.
• A second convicted suspect, 20-year-old Parris Harris, was linked through a handgun found in a stolen vehicle days later. Ballistics confirmed it was the murder weapon.

Investigators say Harris had been showing off the same gun in Instagram videos.

Second Suspect Already Serving Life

Harris was convicted of first-degree murder in July 2024 and sentenced earlier this year to life in prison plus 15 years.

He was arrested after fleeing from a vehicle investigators believed was stolen. Inside, officers found the handgun used to kill Gardner.

The case did not end there — cellphone tracking, social media, and surveillance footage ultimately brought Curry into the spotlight as the second gunman.

A Father Lost and a Community Still Hurting

Gardner’s murder deeply shook his family and neighborhood. Prosecutors noted that he was simply trying to visit his daughter during a short lunch break.

Neighbors recalled hearing gunshots and later learning the victim was a father trying to “squeeze in time with his little girl.”

“He didn’t deserve this,” a community member said after the shooting.
“He was doing what any loving father would do.”

Curry will be sentenced on March 30, 2026, and is expected to face decades behind bars.

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