Seventeen-year-old Cortez Brown was shot on the evening of May 22, 2016, on the 3500 block of Hayward Avenue near Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. He was taken to Sinai Hospital in critical condition and later died of his wounds, turning the assault investigation into a homicide.

Baltimore police say witnesses quickly provided information that led to the identification and arrest of Brandon Lucas, a resident of the 4000 block of Bonner Road. Lucas was charged with attempted first-degree murder while Cortez was still alive; the victim’s subsequent death raised the question of upgraded charges.

On May 15, 2017, Brandon Lucas, then 26, was fatally shot, and his death left the earlier case without a judicial resolution. Few public details are available about the period between the two deaths. If anyone knew Cortez, his movements that night, or the people involved, please come forward with information.