Video evidence of the murder.

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

The second man involved in the deadly daylight ambush that killed a young Maryland father on his way to visit his daughter has now been convicted, officials announced.

Attorney General Anthony Brown said on Wednesday, Nov. 19, that 24-year-old Andrew Curry of Baltimore City was found guilty in connection with the 2023 killing of 27-year-old Desmond Gardner following a five-day trial. 

Curry was 21 at the time of the murder.

Gardner was shot and killed on Jan. 26, 2023, in the 3400 block of Spelman Road in the Cherry Hill neighborhood. 

Prosecutors said he was on his lunch break from the Baltimore City Department of Public Works and heading to visit his daughter when three people ambushed him. 

More than 20 rounds were fired.

“Desmond Gardner was doing what any loving father would do—taking time from his workday to spend precious moments with his young daughter—when he was gunned down just a few steps from her front door,” Brown said. 

“This conviction ensures that both individuals responsible for such senseless, life-changing violence will be held accountable.”

Investigators said Gardner was unarmed and shot in the back as he was about to enter an apartment building where his daughter was waiting.

Detectives were first left with only video of three masked shooters. 

Six days after the murder, Baltimore County Police stopped a possibly stolen vehicle and arrested co-conspirator Parris Harris, then 17, after he fled and locked a stolen handgun in the glove box. 

Forensic testing confirmed that shell casings from the Cherry Hill murder scene were consistent with that gun.

Investigators with the Baltimore Police Department and the FBI later determined that Curry was the shooter who was hit in the lower right leg by a co-conspirator during the attack. 

They contacted area hospitals and found no records of a gunshot victim. 

But cellphone data showed Harris traveled to George Washington Hospital in Washington, DC, shortly after the murder. Records from the trauma center confirmed Curry had been admitted with two gunshot wounds to his lower right leg.

Harris was convicted of all charges on July 12, 2024, and sentenced to life plus 15 years on March 31, 2025.

Investigators also found cellphone evidence showing Curry and Harris were in communication before and after the murder. Location data placed both phones in close proximity before the shooting, and investigators testified that both phones were powered off at the time of the murder.

The jury also saw evidence that Curry had posted a photo on Instagram wearing the same pants he wore during the murder.

Jurors deliberated for just over three hours before finding him guilty of all charges. 

Curry will remain held without bond until his sentencing on March 30, 2026. 

He faces life without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, another potential life sentence for conspiracy, and up to 20 years for firearms charges.

"Today’s conviction is a clear example of what true partnership looks like and how collaboration across agencies can bring accountability to those who commit violence in our city," Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said. “We will continue to pursue justice with the same commitment in every case, for every victim, and for every family.”