Travis Jamal Ben-Watkins

Travis Jamal Ben-Watkins was a 26-year-old Black man who, according to his obituary, worked various jobs to support his family. He was a father to a son and a daughter and was remembered for his love of football and the time he cherished spending with his children.

On the evening of September 4, 2021, a long-standing dispute between neighbors in Baltimore, Maryland, escalated into a fatal confrontation. At approximately 8:30 p.m., officers responded to a shooting in the 5000 block of Corley Road and found Travis Ben-Watkins suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Homicide detectives learned that Ben-Watkins had been involved in an ongoing feud with his downstairs neighbor. The conflict reportedly centered on issues with trash and marijuana use. On the day of the shooting, the neighbor’s son, Alejandro Gonzalez, was visiting from his home in Georgia and confronted Ben-Watkins about the dispute. The conversation escalated, culminating in the shooting.

After the incident, Gonzalez drove his family back to Georgia. Investigators identified him as the suspect, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on a charge of first-degree murder. The 38-year-old was taken into custody in Georgia and extradited to Baltimore to face the charge.

Gonzalez was held in a Baltimore jail while awaiting a trial scheduled for March 2022 in Baltimore Circuit Court. His attorney asserted that Gonzalez had acted in self-defense. According to the attorney, Ben-Watkins threatened Gonzalez and his family, smashed a wooden chair on the ground, and then charged at Gonzalez while waving a broken chair leg like a club, which prompted Gonzalez to fire his weapon. As of January 2022, the case was pending trial.