Murder trial of city officer begins Wednesday

By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun 8:20 p.m. EDT, May 31, 2011
Two Baltimore police sergeants are prepared to testify that a colleague, Gahiji Tshamba, appeared to be “under the influence of alcohol” after he unloaded his service weapon into an unarmed Marine last year outside a Mount Vernon bar, prosecutors said in court Tuesday.

Tshamba, who was off-duty at the time of the incident, is charged with murder in the shooting death of Tyrone Brown, 32, who was struck a dozen times in the chest and groin. His trial by judge — rather than jury — is set to begin Wednesday in Baltimore Circuit Court.

At issue is whether Tshamba, a 15-year city police veteran with a history of getting into trouble on the job, followed his law enforcement training when he fired his gun in the early morning of June 5, 2010.

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