A Baltimore man fatally shot an off-duty police officer during a robbery. Now, he will spend four decades behind bars.
U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher handed Rashaud Nesmith, also known as “Shaud,” 21, a forty-year term in federal prison without parole for the shooting of Baltimore City Police Sergeant Isaac “Ike” Carrington and his involvement with four homicides. Nesmith pleaded guilty to over 40 acts of violence, including multiple carjackings and shootings.
On August 8, 2019, Carrington had been off duty and chatting with aneighbor when the defendant jumped out of a stolen car and told the victim not to run before demanding his money. Then, at gunpoint, Carrington informed Nesmith he was a police officer and asked him not to desist.
“Look, man, you don’t want to do this. “I’m a police officer. Don’t do this,” said Carrington, reported CBS News.
At the time, 16-year-old Nesmith shot the 25-year Baltimore City Police veteran multiple times before taking the officer’s handgun and fleeing the scene. Carrington was left paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair.
According to investigators, the defendant was identified as a member of Baltimore’s Triple C gang, which was linked to a string of murders, armed robberies, and shootings prior to the incident at Carrington’s home. Between 2015 and 2020, the street gang was involved in a dozen homicides and racketeering. Soon, a search warrant was enforced at Nesmith’s residence, where a picture of Carrington’s gun was found on his cell phone. In addition, a .40 caliber handgun was found, which matched the shell casings left at the crime scene. The defendant was arrested weeks later.
A year prior, Nesmith’s co-defendant, Karon Foster, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy, three homicides, a string of carjackings, and armed robbery, including the incident at Carrington’s home. However, he denied shooting Carrington.
Nesmith’s defense lawyer, Christopher Nieto, expressed his frustration with the wide chasm among the youth growing up in the cities of Baltimore. However, he cautiously hopes his client will buck the trend while atoning for his violent acts behind bars.
“Forty years is a long time. You are a very young man, Mr. Nesmith. You had a tough background, but that doesn’t excuse this behavior. I wish you the best of luck, and I very much hope this is the last time you are present in a courtroom,” said Gallagher to the defendant, according to The Baltimore Sun.
