Hagerstown Man Sentenced to Life Plus 15 Years For Attempted First-Degree Murder and Five Additional Charges Including Use of a Firearm with High-Capacity Magazine in the Commission of a Crime of Violence
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 10, 2024
Hagerstown Man Sentenced to Life Plus 15 Years For Attempted First-Degree Murder and Five Additional Charges Including Use of a Firearm with High-Capacity Magazine in the Commission of a Crime of Violence
Frederick, Maryland – Today, in Frederick County Circuit Court, Judge Julia Martz-Fisher, sentenced Lookman-Khalil Abolajo Bello to Life plus 15 years in The Department of Corrections for Attempted First-Degree Murder, Use of a Firearm in the Commission a Crime of Violence, Use of a High-Capacity Magazine in the Commission of a Crime of Violence, Possession of a Firearm by Person with Prior Crime of Violence Conviction, Possession of Ammunition by Person with Prior Crime of Violence Conviction, and Fleeing Police. In February 2024, Judge Martz-Fisher presided over a seven-day bench trial and found Lookman-Khalil Abolajo Bello guilty.
On March 18, 2022 at approximately 2:45a.m., Deputy First Class Christian Lucente of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a vehicle traveling 94 mph near I270/Rte.85. The vehicle failed to stop and led police on a brief pursuit to the area of Kingscrest Apartments in Frederick. The operator of the vehicle, later identified as the Defendant, bailed out of the vehicle and took off on foot. The foot pursuit continued into the area of Rooks Court at which time the Defendant pulled out an unserialized Polymer80 9mm handgun with an extended magazine from his right jacket pocket and began firing at DFC Lucente. The Defendant fired a total of 12 rounds at DFC Lucente; several of which struck the apartment building directly behind where DFC Lucente was located. DFC Lucente was able to return fire striking and incapacitating the Defendant. DFC Lucente and DFC Dixon were then able to approach, apprehend, and provide emergency medical treatment to the Defendant. Other deputies arrived at the scene shortly thereafter and took over providing medical treatment until EMS arrived. The Defendant was transferred to University of Maryland Shock Trauma for further medical care before being remitted to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center to answer for the charges for which he has now been convicted and sentenced.
State’s Attorney Charlie Smith stated, “Our community needs to understand that police face the possibility of being shot at every day, and that we as prosecutors will hold those gunmen and violent offenders accountable. Bello has shown that he is a major threat to public safety and therefore should be removed from our community and incarcerated for a substantial period of time.”
The apprehension, arrest and conviction of the Defendant was a collaborative effort by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office and the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office, represented by Chief, Violent Crimes Unit, Ricky Lewis and Assistant State’s Attorney, Samantha Slattery.
Press Contact:
Jacqueline Rottmann
Court Media Relations Officer
301-600-2972
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