Court records: dirt bike trade led to deadly shooting in southwest Baltimore

Homicide detectives discovered during their search for a killer following a shooting in southwest Baltimore that the deadly crime was the byproduct of a fight over a dirt bike.

Police learned about the shooting around 1:10 p.m. on May 5. That’s when they were sent to the 1600 block of Cole Street to investigate a report of gunfire. Once there, they found Musa Witherspoon, 31, suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso, according to authorities.

An ambulance took Witherspoon to the University of Maryland Medical Center where he died from his injuries within the hour, according to court records.

The Baltimore Police Department announced on June 12 that detectives had arrested Dedrick Coates, 36, at his home in the 200 block of Augusta Avenue on June 11.

The charging documents for Coates allege that he and Witherspoon had gotten into an argument over a 2007 red Honda dirt bike. Witherspoon owned a Honda Accord and traded it for the dirt bike on April 25.

Homicide detectives obtained video footage of a Dodge Ram truck dropping off the dirt bike on April 25, according to the charging documents.

Court records state that witnesses told detectives that Witherspoon became upset with the trade when the dirt bike stopped working.

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On May 5, Witherspoon was outside of his home in the 400 block of South Gilmor Street when he allegedly confronted Coates about the broken dirt bike. Witherspoon demanded that Coates either return his Honda Accord or fix his dirt bike.

“It was at that time when the individual shot and killed Witherspoon,” court records state. “The Honda dirtbike was recovered across the street from the shooting.”

On that day, surveillance footage captured the image of a Dodge Ram truck fleeing the site of the shooting, according to court records.

The charging documents show that investigators found Witherspoon’s Honda Accord and the Dodge Ram truck in the 1800 block of Penrose Avenue following the shooting. Additionally, detectives found documents with Coates’ name on it inside of the truck.

Coates is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior conviction, police said.

He has been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and handgun violations.