Baltimore man pleads guilty to killing teen

Retaliation for robbery cited in 2018 fatal shooting

A Baltimore man has admitted to fatally shooting a 16-year-old on the basketball court of a Southwest Baltimore rec center more than two years ago in retaliation for a robbery.

Justin Antoine, 25, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to a cocaine charge, as well as discharging a firearm resulting in death in relation to a drugtrafficking crime. The latter count relates to the May 8, 2018, fatal shooting of Jordan Deshields.

Antoine could have faced a maximum penalty of life in prison, but his plea agreement calls for him to receive 20 to 25 years.

According to his plea agreement, Antoine admitted that he sold cocaine and heroin in the Edmondson Village area. On “several occasions” in early 2018, Antoine was robbed, with drugs, cash and a cellphone taken from him, according to the agreement.

Federal prosecutors say Antoine believed Deshields, a student at the New Era Academy in Cherry Hill, was among those who had robbed him, and shot him twice in the head at the Mary Rodman Recreation Center. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew DellaBetta previously said the shooting was “essentially an execution.”

Months later, in November 2018, a friend of Deshields opened fire on Antoine, who fired back, striking a bystander, according to a federal indictment.

Antoine and 16 others were charged in July 2019, and federal prosecutors have since brought additional cases centered on the Edmondson Village neighborhood and adjoining Allendale

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew DellaBetta previously said the shooting was “essentially an execution.”