Anntoinette Tunstall-Jennings

Anntoinette Tunstall-Jennings was a 52-year-old Black woman known as "the life of the party" by her family. A beloved teacher's aide at Waverly Elementary School in Baltimore, she was also a mother, sister, and doting grandmother. Her cousin, Christopher Swain, later said her death felt like "a bad dream that we just can't wake up from." On the evening of January 22, 2025, Tunstall-Jennings went to Tunbridge School to cheer on her granddaughter at a basketball game.

A dispute broke out during the game, and the gymnasium was cleared. Afterward, Tunstall-Jennings left in her car with four family members: her 29-year-old son and two of her grandchildren, ages 11 and 4. As they were stopped in the 5400 block of York Road, just a few blocks from the school, their vehicle was ambushed. Surveillance footage captured two individuals approaching the car before opening fire.

Anntoinette Tunstall-Jennings was fatally wounded and pronounced dead at the scene. Her son was shot and required surgery. Her 11-year-old granddaughter was also shot, and her 4-year-old grandchild was grazed by a bullet; both children were expected to survive. The family’s devastation was immense. "They took a life we can never get back," Swain said. "It stemmed from a fight at a basketball game, a game."

The investigation quickly led police to identify suspects who had also been at the basketball game. According to reports, an altercation had occurred at the game between Tunstall-Jennings' family and a woman identified as Cassandra McRae. CCTV footage showed McRae leaving the game, making a phone call, and getting into a gray sedan which then followed the family’s car.

In March 2025, the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office announced the indictments of Cassandra McRae and a man named Tavon Singleton. They were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and multiple counts of attempted murder. Footage reportedly showed McRae approaching the victim's car and pointing it out to two male suspects, saying, “There they go right there, there they go right there,” just moments before one of the men opened fire. At the time of the indictments, a second male suspect remained at large.

Following the charges, Cassandra McRae was convicted for her role in the deadly shooting. She was sentenced to 140 years in prison.