‘Most wanted’ suspect’s suicide stokes tension between Bates and police

Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates is criticizing city police for their decision to publicize the search for a teen murder suspect who then died by suicide, saying police went against his office’s guidance and may have contributed to the teen’s decision to take his life.

But police and Mayor Brandon Scott are pushing back, saying they were following protocols in a high-profile case involving an elusive suspect. They accused Bates of disrespecting the privacy of the families of the victim and suspect by airing his concerns.

The debate centers on the July 31 shooting of Jada Sellers, a 17-year-old honor student at Milford Mill Academy, who died about two weeks later. Prosecutors authorized an attempted murder warrant for her ex-boyfriend, Christian Hursey, 18, as Sellers lay hospitalized in a coma.

Police had been unable to find Hursey and wanted to ask for the public’s help. But behind the scenes prosecutors said new questions had arisen about the evidence in the case, and the lead detective and prosecutor assigned to the case worried that publicizing Hursey as the suspect could cause additional problems, including influencing witnesses.

Nevertheless, confident that Hursey was the shooter and concerned he was on the lam, police put out a flyer naming Hursey “Baltimore’s Most Wanted” for Sellers’ murder. Scott amplified this on social media.

Bates said he grew concerned after searching Hursey’s name and discovering the teen had witnessed his father kill his mother as a child. He said he was worried that the teen, who had no prior offenses, could harm himself when he realized he could be sentenced to life in prison, as his father had been.

“Sadly, our concerns were realized,” Bates wrote in a statement to The Banner.

When detectives moved in to serve a search warrant at the Woodlawn home Hursey shared with his grandmother, the teen shot himself.

Public disagreements between prosecutors and police are not new. Over the years, Bates’ predecessors have feuded with police over issues including dropped cases, how to handle problem officers and who has the ultimate authority to charge homicides. Bates has voiced frustration over police not writing more citations, and he stopped working with Scott’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, citing a “veil of secrecy.” Details released about the Sellers case offer a rare behind-the-scenes look at how this disagreement unraveled.

Baltimore Police said in a statement that officers followed “established practices for locating and apprehending a violent offender who had remained at large for weeks.”

“BPD also rejects any suggestion that publicly identifying Hursey or offering a reward caused the tragic outcome that followed,” chief spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge said in a statement. “Hursey was ultimately responsible for the choices he made.”

Police also said Bates’ concerns that Hursey could harm himself based on his family history were not communicated to them.

Scott, who said he’s known members of the Sellers family for decades, contacted The Banner unsolicited to address Bates’ concerns. Scott said people were contacting him directly, suggesting the prospect of vigilante justice if police didn’t find Hursey first.

“These families have already been traumatized enough,” Scott said in reply to Bates’ criticisms.

Sellers’ family declined to comment, pointing to a previous statement after Hursey was identified as the suspect in which they thanked police for their work and asked that “even more resources ... be deployed to bring him and all who are aiding him to justice.”

Attempts to reach Hursey’s family were unsuccessful.

Emails released to The Banner under a public records request show some of the internal debate.

In an Aug. 19 email, Assistant State’s Attorney Brent Weinberg wrote to Emily Witty, the state’s attorney’s office’s deputy chief of communications, that he had heard police wanted to announce Hursey was being sought in Sellers’ shooting.

“My preference would be for them NOT to release any information at this time,” Weinberg told Witty, adding that the case’s primary detective agreed. “I don’t want there to be any taint on the investigation, as a BPD announcement would effectively put a big spotlight on this particular suspect, and may detract from the investigative process.”

Bates said in an interview that his office had given approval for a warrant charging Hursey with attempted murder. But he said additional questions would later arise regarding the strength of that case, and prosecutors gave police a number of tasks to complete in order to strengthen the evidence.

“This case presented significant evidentiary challenges. It involved juvenile witnesses, conflicting accounts of what occurred and blurry CCTV footage,” Bates said.

Later, as investigators pored over the evidence, they learned someone else at the party where the shooting occurred was wearing similar clothing to Hursey’s, complicating the account of the lone witness.

“That does not mean we were unwilling to prosecute the case — quite the opposite,” Bates said. “We still needed critical information from witnesses and additional investigative work to establish what happened and who was responsible. We could not responsibly bypass our protocols simply because the circumstances were tragic or because there was understandable public pressure for immediate action.”

Prosecutors did not attempt to recall the warrant; police say they spent two weeks attempting to serve it.

Eldridge, the police department’s chief spokesperson, told The Banner that warrant task force officers “worked the case around the clock once the warrant for his [Hursey’s] arrest was issued.”

“There were family members offering up information, anonymous tips, even tips on social media posts that investigators were vetting, in addition to hitting multiple locations, to include the location where he was found,” she wrote in an email.

She noted that police have been taken to task for failing to publicize cases — just this week, the father of slain tech CEO Pava LaPere has been speaking out again about the 2023 case and saying police failed to notify the public about an earlier attack by the same suspect.

Bates says he doubted Hursey was a threat to the public, calling the shooting “an intimate partner violence case involving a juvenile suspect.” He also said Hursey had “no apparent financial means to flee.”

Eldridge said it was her suggestion to use the term “Baltimore’s Most Wanted” to help find Hursey. Police routinely publicize wanted suspects. The language hearkens back to nearly a decade ago, when police dubbed certain wanted suspects as “Public Enemy No. 1.”

Sellers, a student government leader who dreamed of attending college in Texas, was the goddaughter of Eldridge’s top staffer, longtime police spokesperson Donny Moses. As a sworn officer he served as a spokesperson for two decades before retiring from the police department in September 2024, then returned as a civilian leading the public information office.

Eldridge initially said in response to questions that “we are not aware [of] the victim being related to anyone in the BPD.” Asked to clarify her remarks, Eldridge said the connection did not influence decisions regarding the case.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or behavior, call or text 988 to contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.