Two women were killed in Baltimore in separate incidents yesterday morning, the body of a man who was shot was found yesterday afternoon in a wooded area in South Baltimore, and an unidentified man was fatally shot last night near a southwest city shopping center, marking the city's first homicides of the new year, police said.
Meanwhile, a killing late Saturday brought Baltimore's homicide total for 2005 to 269. Two teens were charged with first-degree murder in that case, said Agent Donny Moses, a Police Department spokesman.
About 10:45 p.m. Saturday, an off-duty police officer heard a yell for help and found the two suspects assaulting an unlicensed taxi driver in the 2300 block of Ashburton St. in West Baltimore, Moses said.
The officer dialed 911 and followed the suspects as they fled, Moses said. Another officer stopped them, finding blood on one of the suspects.
The taxi driver, who had not been identified yesterday, had been stabbed in the upper torso, Moses said. He was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center and pronounced dead at 11:40 p.m.
The suspects were identified as Darryl Powell, 18, of the 2000 block of Ridgehill Ave. and Edward Holmes, 17, of an unknown address. Holmes was charged as an adult, Moses said.
The first homicide of 2006 occurred about 1:40 a.m. yesterday, when a 21-year-old woman was shot while trying to break up a fight at a New Year's party at her home, Moses said.
The victim was identified as Stephanie Mills of the 2400 block of Woodbrook Ave.
Moses said a guest at the New Year's party received a call from her boyfriend, who then showed up at the party and began to fight with her. Shots were fired, hitting Mills and wounding another guest, a 36-year-old man who was in serious but stable condition.
Mills was taken to Shock Trauma and pronounced dead at 2:30 a.m.
Moses said the gunman fled the party in a vehicle and was being sought by police.
The year's second homicide occurred about 9:50 a.m. yesterday, Moses said, when a woman and a man got into an altercation at North Eutaw and West Fayette streets and the man cut the woman's throat.
Moses identified the victim as Michelle Denton, 49, of the 1900 block of W. Baltimore St.
The victim's 37-year-old ex-boyfriend, Earl Holeman, of no fixed address, was arrested near the slaying scene and has been charged with first-degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon police said. He was being held at Central Booking and Intake Center without bail, pending a bail-review hearing before a District Court judge tomorrow.
About 1 p.m. yesterday, a woman walking in the 2800 block of Spelman Road in Cherry Hill spotted a man's body lying in a wooded area. Police said the unidentified man had been shot and appeared to have been dead since Friday or Saturday.
Despite the man being dead a day or two, his slaying is recorded for this year, police said.
About 9:30 p.m. yesterday, a man was shot near a shopping area in the 2600 block of Marbourne Ave. in Southwest Baltimore and died a short time later at Shock Trauma. Details of the shooting were not available.
sara.neufeld@baltsun.com
Sun reporter Richard Irwin contributed to this article.
