Surveillance video from tin can helped Baltimore detectives find murder suspect

Detectives have arrested a man for allegedly killing his mother’s neighbor—with whom she shared a long romantic history.

Investigators used doorbell surveillance footage to help piece together the last minutes of Rodney Harrison’s life, according to court records.

Harrison, 61, was shot in the back in the 3800 block of Moravia Road on Sept. 25. Officers found him lying on the ground near the entrance to his home around 9:50 p.m. An ambulance took Harrison to a hospital where he died from his injuries.

Detectives charged his neighbor’s son, Andre Smith, with murder on Oct. 27.

Andre Smith Mugshot.png

Smith’s charging documents describe how Harrison lived in a single-family house that had been divided into separate apartments. The entrances to both apartments shared the same porch on the same side of the residence.

Harrison lived in one apartment while his on-again, off-again girlfriend of seven years lived in the other apartment.

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Court records state that Harrison’s ex-girlfriend sent him to the liquor store prior to the shooting. She had been waiting for Harrison to return when Smith, who was at her apartment that night, exited her home and then walked back in the door.

Smith told his mother, “Get your man . . . I’m not dealing with this.” Afterward, he left again and did not return, according to the charging documents.

Detectives assigned to the Baltimore Police Department’s Northeastern District exit a crime scene so that homicide detectives can take over an investigation into a shooting that happened along Moravia Road. (WBFF / Maggie Ybarra)

Sometime after Smith’s departure, his mother went outside and found Harrison bleeding at the base of the steps. She asked one of her other neighbors to call the police, according to court records.

Doorbell surveillance camera footage obtained from a tin can on the front porch helped detectives piece together the final minute’s of Harrison’s life. That footage helped them identify the suspected killer, too.

Homicide detective Marcus Smothers approaches detectives assigned to the Baltimore Police Department’s Northeastern District to discuss the parameters of an investigation into a shooting on Friday. (WBFF / Maggie Ybarra)

The surveillance footage provided a timeline of events for detectives. Harrison had knocked on his ex’s door at 9:41 p.m. Smith opened that door, and the two of them proceeded to argue about money. Detectives noticed that the side porch handrail appeared to be intact at that point, according to the charging documents.

A few minutes later, the surveillance footage showed Harrison’s ex-girlfriend exiting her home at 9:44 p.m. The charging documents state that the side porch handrail “looked to be broken” when she went out onto the porch.

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A forensics investigator found a single 9-milimeter cartridge casing at the top of the porch steps. Harrison’s body was found at the bottom of the steps.

Investigators have charged Smith with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and several firearm violations.