Attempted murder charges dropped against Hagerstown man in regards to June 2023 shooting

Multiple attempted murder charges against a Hagerstown man were dropped last month in regards to a shooting last June along West North Avenue, according to court records.

Efrem Rashaan Jones, 35, had been facing charges that included four counts each of attempted first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder in the June 23, 2023, shooting near the intersection with Jonathan Street.

Charges against Jones were dropped in Washington County Circuit Court on April 16, according to court records.

Washington County State's Attorney Gina Cirincion and Jones' defense attorney, Tyler Mann, had no comment about the charges being dropped.

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Hagerstown Police Lt. Rebecca Fetchu, spokesperson for the police department, said in an email Wednesday that the case was closed after Jones was arrested.

During Jones' bond hearing last July, Assistant Public Defender Garrett Byron told the judge the "allegations omit relevant details" and the situation was being "depicted as an independent, isolated incident." But Byron said there was "more to it than in the charging documents."

What charging documents said about the shooting

A Hagerstown Police officer responded to Jonathan Street and North Avenue around 1:10 a.m. that Friday night for a reported shooting. Shortly later, another police officer went to the 400 block of North Prospect Street for a male advising he'd been shot and needed an ambulance.

When police arrived at North Prospect, the victim, Desi Harris, was not there and the officer was later told Harris was at Meritus Medical Center east of Hagerstown.

Harris was shot in the left leg, with medical personnel believing it was one bullet, leaving entry and exit wounds, according to charging documents.

People near Jonathan and North told police they heard a gunshot. Police found one vehicle with a shattered back window and a bullet behind the vehicle in the 100 block of West North Avenue, charging documents state.

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Police said Harris and his girlfriend told them they were walking with two friends when a white Nissan sport utility vehicle approached at a slow speed and the driver fired about three to five shots as the vehicle passed, according to charging documents.

Through surveillance camera footage, police saw a white Nissan Pathfinder arrive near West North and Park Place. A man, whom police later identified as Jones, got out and walked around, with police describing his actions as appearing to be "vigilantly searching for a person or group of people nearby," charging documents state.

Police also noted there was an outline of an L-shaped object in the man's right jacket pocket, with the man keeping his right hand in the pocket and holding his right arm tightly against his body — consistent with someone carrying a gun, charging documents state.

After a group of four people walked by the SUV while the man whom police alleged was Jones sat in the driver's seat, the driver closed the door and slowly backed the SUV from Park Place onto West North Avenue, charging documents state.

Police allege the driver appeared to be watching the group walk west as he backed over part of the curb. Once the pedestrians cross the Jonathan Street intersection, the SUV turns right onto Jonathan, taking a wide turn so it's partly in the bike lane.

The driver's side window is down and the driver fires a handgun at the pedestrians, hitting Harris and a vehicle, charging documents state.

Police used surveillance cameras to track the SUV to an alley behind the 100 block of Randolph Avenue.

At the hospital, a man who knows Harris told police he was asleep when Harris knocked on his door in the 100 block of West North Avenue and said he'd been shot, charging documents state. The man decided not to wait for an ambulance and drove Harris to Meritus.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Multiple attempted murder charges dropped against Hagerstown man