BALTIMORE– As the trial began Tuesday for a man accused in the fatal shooting ambush of a Baltimore police officer, the motive for the killing remains shrouded in mystery more than two years later.
Officer Keona Holley, who was shot multiple times while sitting in her marked patrol car during a night shift, died in the hospital after the December 2021 attack. Police arrested two men who allegedly shot Holley before authorities said they were about 90 minutes later committed another murder in another Baltimore neighborhood.
One of the suspects, Elliot Knox, is on trial this week for his role in both shootings. Police arrested Knox, 34, after identifying him as the owner of a car he saw leaving the scene. He then gave a statement to investigators in which he admitted to some involvement but identified another man as the shooter: Travon Shaw, who would become Knox’s co-defendant.
During opening statements in Knox’s trial Tuesday morning, defense attorney Natalie Finegar said his story was credible because key elements of his confession were corroborated by other evidence; For example, detectives recovered weapons after he told them where to look. Knox should be found guilty of accessory after the fact and illegal possession of a weapon, not murder, Finegar told the jury.
Shaw was convicted of murder and other charges in October for his role in the second shooting, but he has not yet been tried for Holley’s killing. The second victim, Justin Johnson, was also in his parked car when he was shot.
During emotional testimony on the morning of Johnson’s death, his partner said he was good friends with Shaw. But detectives repeatedly said during interrogation of Knox that they had not discovered any relationship between him and any of the victims.
Several hours of testimony from detectives and other witnesses could shed little light on why Knox might have participated in either of the shootings.
Sergeant Dominic Crawford, an officer who worked with Holley in Baltimore’s Southern District, said that on the night of the ambush she sat in a parking lot that provided a clear view of bars and other businesses where police often responded to calls for help .
Crawford was the first to respond to the shooting in the early hours of December 16, although the incident was initially reported as a single-vehicle crash because Holley must have tried to drive away. Her patrol car crashed through a fence and came to a stop in a nearby park.
Prosecutors played Crawford’s body camera footage, which showed him arriving at the scene and finding Holley seriously injured. Crawford and a civilian worked to provide aid until medics arrived.
“You keep fighting for that breath,” one of them tells Holley. “Squeeze my hand, that’s all. Hold on tight, okay.”
Several of Holley’s family members were present in the courtroom Tuesday. They declined to comment until later in the trial.
Holley, a mother and former nursing assistant, joined the force in 2019 at the age of 37. Family members said she was truly a “good cop” who wanted to give back to her community. Her death sparked an outpouring of grief and confusion about why she was targeted — questions that went unanswered during the first day of Knox’s trial.
Detectives said Holley’s gun was still in her holster, indicating she did not have time to confront her attacker.
“The evidence will show that she barely had a split second to realize what was happening,” prosecutor Kurt Bjorklund said during his opening statement.
He questioned Knox’s credibility, citing the beginning of his statement to police in which Knox was evasive about his whereabouts and claimed to have loaned his car to someone else the night of the shootings. Bjorklund also said there is evidence that Knox pulled the trigger in both murders. But Knox’s attorney doubted that claim, saying he ultimately told investigators the truth about his limited involvement.
“There is a tremendous amount of emotion surrounding this case,” she said, asking jurors to use discernment as they review the evidence.