A Baltimore man, described by prosecutors as a repeat violent offender, has been sentenced to life plus 35 years in prison for fatally shooting a 34-year-old man in the city’s Frankford neighborhood last year.
State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates stated Thursday that Amir Barnes-Henderson had been sentenced to first-degree murder and other offenses in the killing of Gary Lee Matthews. Elizabeth Stock, an assistant state’s attorney, prosecuted the case.
“This sentence ensures that an individual capable of brutal and repeated acts of violence stays off our streets and out of our communities,” Bates said in a written statement. “My office remains committed to removing these types of violent repeat offenders from the community…”
The shooting happened on November 21, 2024. At 5:22 p.m., a patrol officer from the Baltimore Police Northeast District responded to reports of a blockshooting in the 4900 Block of Frankford Avenue.
Officers discovered Matthews unresponsive at the scene and pronounced him deceased shortly after 5:30 p.m.
Investigators determined that the victim and Barnes-Henderson had a verbal confrontation at the neighboring One Stop Liquor Store just before the shooting. Witnesses described the dispute and the subsequent shooting.
Authorities stated that Barnes-Henderson had many past misdemeanor handgun convictions, which barred him from legally possessing a pistol.
Bates expressed his condolences to Matthews’ family, saying that the sentencing gives “some closure to this devastating chapter in their lives.”
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