Detective Brian Stevenson

Detective Brian Stevenson

2010 - 16 Oct, 2010 we lost brother police Detective Brian Stevenson, off duty, and not line of duty, but he was our brother and he was murdered based on the following: 

A 25-year-old Southeast Baltimore man has been charged with fatally injuring an off-duty Baltimore police detective by throwing a piece of concrete at the officer's head during an argument over a Canton parking space, according to police. Detective Brian Stevenson, an 18-year veteran and married father of three, had gone out to have dinner on the eve of his birthday when he and Sian James got into an altercation in a private parking lot in the 2800 block of Hudson St. about 10 p.m. Saturday, police said. James was charged Sunday with first-degree murder.

James struck Stevenson in the left temple with a "fist-sized" concrete fragment, according to court records. Stevenson suffered "massive head injuries" and was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where he died about an hour before he was to have turned 38.

Colleagues who investigate violent crime in the city — much of it over petty disputes and perceived slights — were struggling to cope with Stevenson's death and were baffled by the circumstances.

"All of them are terrible," Detective Thomas Jackson said of the city's killings. "But a parking space?" Stevenson, who lived in Gwynn Oak, grew up in the city and as an officer investigated shootings and robberies in the Northeast District. He is the first city officer to die at the hands of another since Jan. 9, 2007, when Officer Troy Lamont Chesley Sr. was fatally shot during a robbery while he was off duty in Northwest Baltimore.

Rest In Peace to all of our brothers and sister in the BPD that have lost their lives to the senseless violence of this city. They will not be forgotten, as we their brothers and sisters will keep them in our memories  Detective Brian Stevenson - 16 October, 2010 - Police: Man killed off-duty officer over parking space - 18-year veteran struck in the head with concrete object - October 17, 2010|By Justin Fenton, The Baltimore Sun

A 25-year-old Southeast Baltimore man has been charged with fatally injuring an off-duty Baltimore police detective by throwing a piece of concrete at the officer's head during an argument over a Canton parking space, according to police.

Detective Brian Stevenson, an 18-year veteran and married father of three, had gone out to have dinner on the eve of his birthday when he and Sian James got into an altercation in a private parking lot in the 2800 block of Hudson St. about 10 p.m. Saturday, police said. James was charged Sunday with first-degree murder.

James struck Stevenson in the left temple with a "fist-sized" concrete fragment, according to court records. Stevenson suffered "massive head injuries" and was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where he died about an hour before he was to have turned 38.

Colleagues who investigate violent crime in the city — much of it over petty disputes and perceived slights — were struggling to cope with Stevenson's death and were baffled by the circumstances.

"All of them are terrible," Detective Thomas Jackson said of the city's killings. "But a parking space?"

Stevenson, who lived in Gwynn Oak, grew up in the city and as an officer investigated shootings and robberies in the Northeast District. He is the first city officer to die at the hands of another since Jan. 9, 2007, when Officer Troy Lamont Chesley Sr. was fatally shot during a robbery while he was off duty in Northwest Baltimore.

"It's an incredible tragedy for the family, for all of us," Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III said outside the hospital, where he and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake met Stevenson's relatives. "The city's losing a fantastic detective who worked to make people safe in this city. It's just senseless."

Stevenson was out having dinner with a longtime friend near Canton Square, and the argument broke out in the parking lot of an eye care clinic. Residents said the neighborhood is typically packed, with some area bars offering valet service and drivers jockeying for parking spots.

Acting on information from witnesses, James was tracked down by officers at a club in Power Plant Live and taken into custody. He was formally charged Sunday afternoon.

Friends recalled Stevenson as a jovial man who was one of the department's snappiest and most distinctive dressers, pairing wild colors and patterns. Jackson, a homicide investigator who worked with Stevenson in the Northeast District, said Stevenson was called "Smiley" because of his consistently upbeat mood.

As a detective, Jackson said, the Baltimore native was able to relate to those he interacted with in the streets. Stevenson graduated from Dunbar High School, Jackson said.

"He loved doing his job, and he made sure his family was provided for," said Detective Sandra Forsythe, who continued to bring baked goods to her former partner after she moved on to the homicide unit this year.

"Brian devoted his life to protecting the people of Baltimore. Like his brothers and sisters in uniform, he deserves our respect and admiration for that commitment," Rawlings-Blake said in a statement. "To honor his life, I hope that the people of this city follow his example and renew their commitment to making every community safer."‪

At the scene Saturday night, neighbor Tricia Zebron said that the neighborhood, between the Can Company shopping center and Canton Square, is typically chaotic on weekends. She said parking spots are hard to come by — her car was parked in the same lot where Stevenson was struck, though there are "private parking" signs posted warning that unauthorized vehicles will be towed.

"It's a circus every weekend here," she said.

But it's also among the safest neighborhoods in the city. Stevenson was the first person slain in area near the Canton- Fells Point waterfront this year.

Walter J. Ford, a 76-year-old retired brewery worker who has lived in Canton all of his life, said he was surprised to hear of a killing in the neighborhood.

"I'm really shocked for this area," said Ford. "Very seldom do we get anyone killed. There might be a purse- snatching or something. Canton's usually very fortunate."

The suspect, James, lived around the corner in the 2800 block of Dillon St. Court records show he was charged in July with attempted rape, third-degree sex offense, assault and false imprisonment. Initially held without bond, he was released in mid-September on $150,000 bond.

Details of that case were not immediately available, and his attorney of record, John Denholm, could not be reached for comment.

Records also show that in late July, James was ordered to stay away from a woman who had filed her second protective order against him in a span of four months. Reached for comment, a man who answered the woman's phone said that they could not discuss James because of an "ongoing situation."

No one answered the door at James' home late Sunday afternoon. Neighbors sitting on their front steps said James lived there with a roommate and drove a motorcycle. He seemed friendly, they said, waving hello as he came and went. Other neighbors recalled getting a knock on their door from a city police detective back in July, asking if they had seen James, saying there was a warrant for his arrest. Still, neighbors said, they never saw or heard any violent behavior.

On his Facebook page, James said he attended college in Jamaica, and he often posted updates praising God.

"People always get the wrong impression of me. Then it turns arround [sic] that [I] am a realy [sic] nice guy," he wrote on the "bio" section of his page.

Dozens of officers in uniform or street clothes stood solemnly outside the emergency room entrance at Bayview Medical Center on Saturday night and into Sunday morning. There was little discussion as relatives of Stevenson continued to arrive deep into the morning.

As one group of officers walked to their cars to head home, they each shook hands and embraced.

"Be safe," they said to each other.

Stevenson was the second active-duty Baltimore police officer to die in the past month. In September, Officer James Fowler died after losing control of his vehicle while driving to a training program in Pennsylvania.

By Sunday evening, someone had planted the beginnings of a memorial to Stevenson in the parking lot where he fell. Two small balloons — one sporting an American flag, the other reading "Happy Birthday" — were bound together with a single white rose and placed in a pot. The unsigned card read: "Rest in Peace Detective Brian Stevenson."

Baltimore Sun reporter Nicole Fuller contributed to this article.

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Baltimore police detective funeral today

Motorists should expect delays in Randallstown, Arbutus

October 25, 2010|By Liz Kay, The Baltimore Sun

At a funeral this morning, family and friends will remember the life of a Baltimore police detective who died after an altercation over a Canton parking space.

Detective Brian Stevenson, who served 18 years on the Baltimore police force, was killed Oct. 16, an hour before his 38th birthday, after police said he was struck on the temple with a chunk of concrete.

Stevenson, who lived in Gwynn Oak, grew up in the city and as an officer investigated shootings and robberies in the Northeast District. The Dunbar High School graduate is the first city officer to die at the hands of another since Jan. 9, 2007, when Officer Troy Lamont Chesley Sr. was fatally shot during a robbery while off duty.

The funeral service was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at New Antioch Baptist Church in Randallstown.

Drivers in the area may experience delays while police in Baltimore County escort the funeral procession from the church, on Old Court Road near Windsor Mill Road, to Liberty Road, said county police spokesman Lt. Robert McCullough. The procession will continue down Liberty Road to the Baltimore Beltway, he said.

Maryland State Police will escort the procession on the beltway to Arbutus. Stevenson will be buried at Arbutus Memorial cemetery, McCullough said.

#BPDNeverForget