Donnell Rochester loved mushroom omelets with a side stack of pancakes. He was a good kid who spent most days hanging out with his family or making videos for social media. He dreamed of moving to California to pursue a singing career.

Those are a few things to know about Rochester, said his mother, Danielle Brown. She’s responsible for telling others about her 18-year-old son now. He’s not here to do it himself.

Thursday marked four years since Baltimore Police fatally shot Rochester during a traffic stop on Chilton Street near Hillen Road — and four years without justice for him, Brown said. In 2023, city officials declined to press charges against the officers involved, saying they acted in self-defense.

The decision spurred protests and calls for change. In the time since, the crowds have grown smaller and media coverage has waned. But Brown organizes events in her son’s memory every month and she isn’t giving up hope that those responsible for his death will face consequences.

“He was just a breath of fresh air, and his life was cut short just at the age of 18,” Brown said at a rally in front of the Baltimore mayor’s office Thursday afternoon. “So we are standing here today demanding accountability from the mayor, the governor.”

She was joined by local civil rights activists and relatives of other victims of police killings. They continued chanting and sharing stories even as they shivered from the cold and rain.

On Feb. 19, 2022, police tried to stop Rochester after running the plates on his Honda Accord and discovering the teenager had an open warrant for failing to show up to court. After initially losing sight of the vehicle during a pursuit, officers found the car parked on the side of the road.

Police started running toward the car, and Rochester, who had exited the vehicle, got back in the driver’s seat. Officers told him to stop, while one tried to open the passenger door, but Rochester started driving.

The teenager accelerated “in the direction” of Officer Connor Murray, who fired four shots, according to a report by the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office. Officer Robert Mauri, who was standing nearby, fired two rounds, prosecutors said.

Rochester crashed into a parked vehicle. In body-camera video, he cries out, “Help me” while police handcuff him. They then waited for medics to arrive.

Rochester was pronounced dead at 3:41 p.m. at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. A single bullet entered his right arm and went through his torso, striking his lung and heart.

Attorneys representing the family at the time questioned why police opened fire and did not transport him to the hospital.

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division released a 31-page report noting that Murray had been trained to avoid getting in the path of a vehicle and it is almost never effective to shoot at a moving car. The division identified probable cause to charge Murray with second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.

Cases like Rochester’s prompted the Maryland Legislature to pass a bill in 2023 granting IID the sole authority to prosecute officers in police-involved killings. But the law was not retroactive.

Brown and other advocates have had no luck convincing lawmakers to amend the law to apply to Rochester’s case — so they are calling on Gov. Wes Moore to make the move. They are also urging city leaders, including Mayor Brandon Scott, to take punitive action against Murray and Mauri, who were still active-duty officers as of 2025.

Moore’s and Scott’s offices did not respond to requests for comment.

Brown’s fight is bigger than just her son, she said.

“There have been so many Donnells after 2022,” Brown said. “So many families still fighting the same fight that I am fighting to this day. So many loved ones that have to sit with that grief.”

Dontae Melton Jr., 31, appeared to be suffering from a behavioral health crisis in June when he was handcuffed by city police. He fell unconscious and later died while in custody.

The same month, police killed Bilal “BJ” Abdullah, a longtime arabber, after he exchanged gunfire with them. They also fatally shot 70-year-old Pytorcarcha Brooks, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, in her home after breaking down her door.

“The system is designed to protect itself, not us,” said Presence Santifa of the Black Alliance for Peace. “So, as we gather for Donnell, let us be clear. The task before us is to confront the system, not reform it. ... We must fight for Donnell, fight for BJ, for all those taken or stunted by this violence, because once oppression is normalized, freedom becomes just a memory.”

Banner reporter Dylan Segelbaum contributed to this article.