Suspect in James Blue murder trial claims deadly shooting was self defense
BALTIMORE – The man accused of killing the husband of a Baltimore City Police captain took the stand in his own defense on Friday.
Yesterday, prosecutors showed the jury the Glock G43X pistol used to shoot James Blue whose wife, Lekeisha, is now a captain for the Baltimore Police Department's Internal Affairs Division.
Detectives said James Blue was going about his normal routine when he was killed about a year ago along Walker Avenue in Northeast Baltimore.
Blue was shot at close range while he was waiting for a delivery outside of a property that he had recently purchased. He had been on the phone with his son at the time of the shooting.
Detectives have tied Sahiou Kargbo to the murder based in part on the clothing he was wearing, which was similar to the school uniform associated with Mervo High School.
Kargbo, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, was a Mervo student.
On Friday, Kargbo admitted to killing Blue in self-defense.
He said he thought Blue may have been the person who shot up the house of a family friend whom he described as an "aunt" the month before.
Court documents show a 9 millimeter handgun was recovered at Kargbo's house when police arrested him days later.
Kargbo had two open warrants at the time of the shooting.
Blue's family was emotional earlier this week when prosecutors played body camera video from the first arriving officers, showing Blue on the ground next to a black Honda Accord after he had been shot multiple times.
Blue was a father of three children. He had a registered handgun and permit—a detail Kargbo's public defender seemed to use in a self-defense argument.
The lead detective on the case noted that Blue never pulled out his gun.
Kargbo said he didn't know Blue had been killed until he saw the news later that night while at his Amazon warehouse job.
He left work early and was arrested later that morning in Baltimore County.
Kargbo described it as a "very upsetting day."
"I didn't take aim," he said of the shooting. "I just quickly fired. In that moment, I just feared getting shot. . . I feel awful. I'm sorry."
Jurors wrapped up the day after hearing from a neurophyscologist who testified that Kargbo has an intellectual disability.