Frederick County man sentenced in St. Patrick's Day 2022 fatal shooting in Hagerstown

A Walkersville, Md., man was sentenced to 40 years Monday for his role in the St. Patrick's Day 2022 shooting death of Hagerstown resident Jermaine Reed II in the city's West End.

Deputy State's Attorney Sarah Mollett-Gaumer recommended the maximum 40-year sentence for Kevin Dwayne Nunn, now 29, who pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder. In describing the events of March 17, 2022, Mollett-Gaumer said about 30 rounds were found on the scene after Nunn and and another man opened fire on Reed in the area of Dale Street, a "highly residential area in the middle of the day."

"It was an absolute hailstorm of bullets," Mollett-Gaumer told Washington County Circuit Court Judge Brett R. Wilson.

The gunmen's "brazen and reckless" actions put others in the community at risk as well, she said.

Data environment like "Wild, Wild West": Maryland Legislature considers online privacy bill. AG says resources needed to enforce.

Wilson cited that hailstorm of bullets, saying there could have been significiant unexpected and unintended collateral damage, before announcing the 40-year sentence.

Because second-degree murder is a crime of violence, Nunn will have to serve at least half of the 40-year sentence before he could become eligible for parole, Wilson said. Nunn has credit for 717 days, or almost 2 years, served in jail while he awaited trial.

Nunn is one of four men charged related to the murder of Reed, 27.

Nunn considered withdrawing his guilty plea

Before the sentencing hearing could proceed, the parties had to deal with a motion defense attorney Andrew Alperstein filed Friday at Nunn's request - a motion to withdraw the guilty plea Nunn entered last June 20.

Alperstein said Nunn changed his mind again and wanted to proceed with the sentencing for the guilty plea for second-degree murder.

The defense attorney said Nunn reconsidered the motion after the state notified them that if Nunn withdrew his guilty plea, the state would file a parole notice

Mollett-Gaumer confirmed after the sentencing hearing that the state would have refiled the first-degree murder charge against Nunn and sought a maximum sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

Summary of what police found responding to St. Patrick's Day 2022 shooting

Hagerstown Police responded to the area of Alexander and Dale streets around 4 p.m. on March 17, 2022, for a report of a gunshot victim, according to a police news release. They found Reed on a sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds.

Police reported in charging documents that city surveillance cameras show Reed sitting in his vehicle parked on Alexander Street when a Honda Accord pulled up next to Reed and two people in the back seat leaned out windows on both sides and began firing at Reed and his vehicle. Reed got out of his vehicle and ran north on the sidewalk while the shooters continued firing. He collapsed on the sidewalk and later died at Meritus Medical Center east of Hagerstown.

Hagerstown Police filed murder charges against Kyeron, or Kye'ron, Zaimere Cottingham on May 19, 2023, noting in charging documents that a source of information, on May 17, told police that "Kruddy" was the second shooter. The source said "Kruddy," also known as Kye'ron, was locked up in Frederick, Md., at that time.

Comings & Goings: AEON Virtual Office has new client space in Hagerstown; HWK Law Group opens city office

Mollett-Gaumer told Wilson on Monday that Nunn and Cottingham drove from Frederick County to Hagerstown to meet with colleagues to find Reed and kill him due to "some sort of beef" with Reed.

Reed was known to frequently be at a residence in the area of Dale Street and was there waiting for his girlfriend, Mollett-Gaumer said.

Mollett-Gaumer said the bullets that hit Reed were damaged so badly it was inconclusive whether they came from the firearm Nunn used or the other shooter's weapon.

Berquan Howard Carroll, 25, of Hagerstown, and Cottingham, 27, of the Frederick, Md., area, face charges including first-degree murder and have trials scheduled for later this year.

Bradley Nathan Walker, 25, whose address in charging documents is northeast of Clear Spring, pleaded guilty in May 2023 to conspiring to the first-degree assault of Reed. Walker's sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Comments from friends and family of victim and shooter

Mollett-Gaumer said Reed's mother, who wasn't present at Monday's hearing and doesn't live in the area, wanted her message relayed to the judge. That is, Mollett-Gaumer said, that Reed's mother is tired of young black men murdering each other so brutally.

"She wants the death to stop," Mollett-Gaumer said.

"She not only grieves for her son, but for the violence that has inundated her community," Mollett-Gaumer said of Reed's mother.

Nunn's father said kids are going through a lot today with peer pressure, drugs and alcohol. Parents do what they can to guide their children. He referred to "bad influences" in addition to drugs and alcohol leading to a parent's worst nightmare.

"Mine came true," he said.

Nunn's younger brother described Nunn as ambitious, generous, adventurous, witty, considerate and thoughtful. He said his brother is his best friend and fishing partner, and that Nunn had "pushed me to be a better version of myself." The younger brother said Nunn, a father, talked to him about how to be an honorable, selfless young man.

The brother both apologized and offered condolences to Reed's family in the courtroom.

As his brother spoke, Nunn — sitting and facing away from the courtroom gallery — appeared to tremble.

More Washington County news: Health department joins downtown partnerships to expand essential health care services

Alperstein said Nunn had worked in a soup kitchen, was active in church and regularly helped others.

A pre-sentence investigation did not identify Nunn as being in a gang, Alperstein said.

Nunn had minimal criminal involvement before the shooting and was drinking a lot, the defense attorney said. He was even walking around with a bottle.

"Sometimes good people make bad choices. In this case, he made a horrific choice," Alperstein said.

Defendant apologizes; receives max sentence

When it was Nunn's turn, he stood and said, "I'm sorry to my family. ... sorry to the victim's family as well."

Alperstein said the sentencing guidelines for Nunn's case were 18 years to 30 years and told Wilson he hoped the judge would consider the lower end of that range.

Sentencing guidelines are not mandatory and are an average of similarly rated criminal offenses across Maryland.

Wilson, before sentencing Nunn to the maximum 40 years, said Nunn's possible punishment had already been reduced by his pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

"Essentially you have in many ways taken two lives through your actions," Wilson told Nunn. Wilson told Nunn he'd taken Reed from his family and himself from his own family.

Noting Nunn's brothers comments, Wilson said Nunn should never have been involved in anything close to approaching this case.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Prosecutor cites 'hailstorm of bullets' in Hagerstown 2022 murder