Morgan State Student Victim Of Marijuana Deal Gone Wrong
A tragic shooting last month claimed the life of a 21-year-old Morgan State University student, and left authorities wondering why. But police now say that the slaying of Barry Ransom in Towson, Md., took place in a marijuana deal gone wrong.
According to the Baltimore Sun, police say Kevin M. Sharp, also 21, climbed into a car with Ransom and two others after arranging to buy weed. Once inside, Sharp pulled a gun and shot Ransom, an accounting major from Philadelphia, during a struggle.
Sharp was charged Friday (October 29) with first-degree murder, after detectives served a search warrant on his home and found a backpack containing a large amount of marijuana and property with the names of the witnesses. He remains in police custody while awaiting trial, according to CBS Baltimore.
Police say Sharp is denying involvement in the case, claiming he had been home all day.
The shooting occured on October 25 at around 10:20 p.m. in a shopping mall parking lot. Officers found a silver Honda with its engine running that was partially on the curb. Ransom was in a wooded area yelling for help. He died at a hospital around 1:15 a.m. due to a single gunshot wound to his torso.
Detectives viewed surveillance footage and determined there were multiple people in the Honda when the shooting took place. The two other passengers were located and interviewed. They are not identified in court papers.
Phone records show that Ransom was in contact with a cell phone number just prior to the murder, which police claim belonged to people associated with Sharp.
Ransom’s family released a statement to CBS Baltimore expressing their grief and confusion over his death.
“Barry was a loving, caring young man who was a senior majoring in accounting at Morgan State University,” the statement said. “He has made many accomplishments within his 21 years of life. The grief is too much to bear and we have too many questions that need to be answered.”
