Baltimore City police arrested a teenager today for the murder of former Baltimore City Councilman Kenneth Harris and are trying to get a warrant for a second suspect.
Charles McGaney, 19, of the 1600 block of Lochwood Road in the Hillen neighborhood of Northeast Baltimore, is being charged with first-degree murder. Officers were scouring the community Friday morning looking for the teen.
“There was an enormous amount of detective work put into this case, stretching back from the very beginning of this crime,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld said at a Friday morning news conference shortly before McGaney was taken into custody.. “… We are confident that we know the identity of a second suspect in this murder.”
Court records show McGaney has been arrested at least five times in Baltimore City and Baltimore County.
Baltimore City prosecutors dropped a felony theft charge against him on Sept. 16 — just four days before Harris’ murder.
In Aug. 5, McGaney pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court to a gun charge — possessing a weapon while under the age of 21 — but was sentenced to time served.
Bealefeld said he believed McGaney was captured on surveillance camera footage moments before the Sept. 20 killing that rocked the city.
Robbers approached Harris in front of the Haven Lounge in the Northwood Shopping Center with owner Keith Covington, 54, and ordered Harris to stand against the building while they forced Covington inside.
Police said they believe Harris, 45, became nervous and made a run for his car, when one of the assailants gave chase, firing one shot at Harris through the passenger-side window, sources said. The shot missed a female passenger in Harris’ car, hitting the former councilman in the back, sources said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Forensic evidence played a major role in obtaining the warrant for McGaney, Bealefeld said.
“We had forensic evidence from the very beginning,” he said. “We had to ensure we dotted every ‘I’ and crossed every ‘T.’ … We would not be hurried or rushed into making premature judgments or actions that would jeopardize this case.”
Mayor Sheila Dixon said she shared the frustration of Harris’ widow, Annette, of not having more information about the crime more quickly.
“These individuals lived in that community,” the mayor said. “It’s so important we have the community engaged. … This was a senseless crime. They will have to pay. We have to send the kind of message, particularly to our young people, that this is unacceptable and this is something they’re not going to get away with.”
Annette Harris thanked Bealefeld and the homicide detectives who are working the case. She said young people in Baltimore need more positive outlets and programs.
“I pray that justice prevails.”
