Firefighter, paramedics testify in Md. homicide case

Mary Grace Keller
The Frederick News-Post, Md.

FREDERIC, Md. — Following the fatal shooting of a Frederick teen last year, first responders Wednesday testified to the bloody scene they came upon, and one officer revealed a knife was found on the victim.

Jordan B. Hooks, 29, has pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges lodged by the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office, including first-degree murder of his so-called friend, Jaemari A. Anderson, 19.

After two-and-a-half days of jury selection, jurors Wednesday heard attorneys’ opening statements and testimony from the prosecution’s first crop of witnesses in the Hooks trial.

Daniel A. Flythe, 27, is also accused of first-degree murder in the case. Brian B. Henry, 28, pleaded guilty Oct. 14 to being an accessory to murder after the fact. Frederick County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Waterview Court in the Waterside community where Hooks and Anderson lived Sept. 6, 2020, to find Anderson lying on the ground near a walking path, according to police. Police say he was flown to University of Maryland Shock Trauma and died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Cpl. David Voland on Wednesday testified he responded with another deputy just before 9 p.m. after dog walkers called 911 when they found Anderson. Guided by his flashlight, Voland came upon Anderson lying on his back, unable to speak, but groaning and moving his arm. At first, Voland testified, he thought Anderson suffered a blunt force injury.

Police in charging documents allege Anderson and Hooks were friends, hanging out at Hooks’ residence on Waterview Court the day of the shooting. A disagreement occurred, leading Anderson and Hooks to allegedly agree to fight outside. Hooks is accused of putting a gun in his waistband when Anderson wasn’t looking prior to the altercation, police documents read.

Voland said he noticed a closed folding knife clipped to Anderson’s waistband, removed it, and checked Anderson’s pockets, where he found his wallet. Deputy First Class Charles Boyce testified he used a metal detector on scene and found a single shell casing in the grass. Photos of the scene were blown up on a projector for the jury.

Frederick County firefighter and paramedic Ryan Bolger detailed how he and other emergency medical services personnel treated Anderson en route to shock trauma. Shock trauma surgeon Dr. Rosemary Kozar said Anderson quickly deteriorated and experienced “brain death.” She testified a CAT scan showed the bullet was still lodged in his bone.

As the trial progressed, Judge Julia A. Martz-Fisher often called all four attorneys to her when objections were raised. She turned on white noise audio as they conversed at the bench. Something the attorneys said prompted her to address them before the jury re-entered the courtroom after a short break.

Martz-Fisher, without naming a specific attorney, said comments made at the bench were “threatening.” She said they should seek a resolution to the case without “becoming a sideshow.”

“We owe this jury better than this,” she said.

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(c)2021 The Frederick News-Post (Frederick, Md.)