Harford County Police made an arrest in connection to the shooting that occurred in Joppa on Saturday evening.
On Saturday, June 25, 2022, at around 7:26 p.m., patrol deputies assigned to the Southern Precinct of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 300 block of Ellsworth Place in Joppa for the report of a shooting. The adult male victim, identified as Da’Shawn Betterson, 24, of Edgewood, was located in a townhouse with multiple gunshot wounds to his lower body. Deputies arrived on scene and immediately began to render aid until relieved by personnel from the Joppa Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company. Betterson was then airlifted to a local trauma center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries by a Maryland State Police Medivac Helicopter.
The investigation was assumed by detectives from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division. Detectives conducted an extensive canvas for witness and digital evidence. A suspect, Malik Burns, 27, of Edgewood, was developed. Additional Information was gathered at the scene of an earlier altercation between the victim and suspect in the parking lot of a nearby Papa John’s Pizza. Investigators from the Forensic Services Unit responded to the area to collect and preserve physical evidence in support of the investigation. At this time, while the motive remains under investigation, detectives believe Burns followed Betterson to the Ellsworth Place address to assault him.
Early Sunday morning, Burns was located, and with assistance from the Special Response Team and members of the Special Investigations Division, arrested and charged with Attempted 1st and 2nd degree murder, 1st-degree assault and use of a handgun in the commission of a felony. He was transported to the Harford County Detention Center where he is being held without bail.
The investigation is active and ongoing. No further information will be released at this time. Anyone with information about this crime, or who may have video of the incident, is asked to call Detective Reynolds, with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division, at 443-409-3502.