ATF: Gun dealer discussed plan to ‘shoot some cops' after Nero acquittal

A 64-year-old Baltimore man under surveillance for suspected illegal firearms dealing was allegedly recorded on Monday telling an undercover federal informant that he planned to “shoot some cops” after the acquittal of Officer Edward Nero in the Freddie Gray case, according to an affidavit filed in federal court by a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Robert Lee “Cowboy” Owens, 64, of the 5100 block of Sunset Road in the Levindale neighborhood of North Baltimore, was arrested Monday and charged with possession of a firearm by a previously convicted person, according to court records. According to the affidavit of Special Agent Arnold Esposito, filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland, a criminal informant for the ATF had been offered a firearm by Owens and agreed to an ATF plan to purchase it from him in a vehicle equipped with audio and video recording devices. The informant then drove to Owens' home, with funds provided by the ATF, and purchased the weapon, identified as a Western Field Model M865 .22-caliber long rifle. Owens allegedly told the informant that the gun was loaded with a single bullet. When the informant asked him why, he allegedly responded, “I was getting ready to use it to shoot some cops ... cuz they done made that [expletive] innocent.” Esposito wrote, “On that same date, a not guilty verdict was handed down by a Baltimore City Circuit Court judge relating to the trial of a Baltimore Police Officer involved in the Freddie Gray matter.” Nero was one of six Baltimore police officers charged in the arrest and death of Gray; he was cleared of all charges Monday. Gray, 25, died from severe spinal injuries that prosecutors say he suffered in the back of a police transport van. Owens could not be reached for comment and did not have an attorney listed in online court records. The ATF did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

—?Kevin Rector and Justin Fenton

Man charged again in peeping tom incident

A 25-year-old man charged in a peeping tom incident earlier this month at Towson University has been charged in a separate incident in Hanover. Zachary Anthony Campbell of Baltimore is charged with peeping tom, private place prurient intent, resisting arrest and second-degree attempted escape in connection with an incident Monday night at the Arundel Mills mall, online court records show. Officers responded at 5:15 p.m. to the mall, where the victim told police a man, identified as Campbell, was filming or photographing her underneath a bathroom stall in the ladies' restroom with his cellphone, police said. He was later found at a McDonald's at 7053 Arundel Mills Blvd. and was arrested. On May 2, police said Campbell was seen in a third-floor bathroom in the College of Liberal Arts building at Towson University placing a cellphone under a stall. Towson University police obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect. The open warrant was served Monday by Anne Arundel County police when he was arrested, a county police spokesman said. Campbell is being held at the Jennifer Road Detention Center on bond of $75,000, online court records show.

—?Lauren Loricchio, Baltimore Sun Media Group

Two shot overnight, one robbed while riding his bike

Two men were shot and injured in separate incidents in Baltimore overnight, including one man who was robbed while riding his bike, police said. Around 11:55 p.m. Monday, a 26-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to his ear in the 5600 block of McClean Blvd. in the Hamilton Hills neighborhood. His injuries aren't considered life-threatening, police said. Around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, a 25-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to his leg in the 3700 block of W. Garrison Ave. Police said he was riding his bike in the 4900 block of Cordelia Ave. in the Langston Hughes neighborhood when he was approached by two men who attempted to rob him. His injuries weren't life-threatening, police said. Police ask anyone with information to call 410-396-2221 or the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP.

—?Carrie Wells

Two charged in three robberies at gas station

Two people have been charged with multiple counts of armed robbery in connection with three incidents at a Columbia Exxon gas station over a three-month period, Howard police announced Tuesday morning. Demetrius Burney, 18, of Columbia and a 15-year-old male from Jessup are facing armed-robbery, assault and theft charges. A police investigation began around 4:30 a.m. Dec. 13 in the 8200 block of Snowden River Parkway when a woman reported that two people forced her to the ground at knifepoint. After finding no valuables, they fled. About a week later, police said, a similar robbery occurred at the same gas station at 2:20 a.m., where another woman was approached by two people with knives, who stole her cash and cellphone. Police said they later robbed an Exxon employee around 1:30 a.m. Feb. 5, partially covering their faces and jumping over the store counter. Both, one armed with a knife and the other holding a handgun, forced the employee to open the register and took the cash. The robbery was found on the store's video surveillance. Detectives served search warrants at the homes of Burney and the juvenile and found clothing, knives and a handgun-style pellet gun, linking them to the robberies. Burney is being held at the county jail on $750,000 bond, while the juvenile was released on community detention with electronic monitoring.

—?Andrew Michaels, Baltimore Sun Media Group