Washington County cases resolved for two men tied to shootings in Hagerstown and Frederick

A Frederick, Md., man was sentenced this week to five years in state prison for his role in a May 2023 shooting near downtown Hagerstown.

The case involves two men tied to that shooting in Hagerstown and an earlier one in Frederick.

Washington County Circuit Court Judge Brett R. Wilson sentenced Dyshez Montel Williams, 27, after Williams entered an Alford plea on Monday to a misdemeanor charge. That charge was for recklessly discharging a firearm from a car in a manner that created a risk of death or serious injury to Raven Justin Cosley.

Williams has 241 days credit for time served at the Washington County Detention Center.

An Alford plea does not admit guilt, but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence to obtain a conviction.

Franklin County, Pa., case: Suspected fentanyl dealer charged with death of woman, unborn baby

The Washington County case is about a May 23 shootout that left at least two vehicles with bullet damage.

Hagerstown Police charged three people related to the shootout after responding to the 100 block of South Mulberry Street around 8:20 p.m. that Tuesday for the sound of gunshots.

A fourth suspect is still unidentified, Assistant State's Attorney Amy Taylor said Monday.

If the case had gone to trial, Taylor said evidence presented would have included witnesses and video surveillance footage.

Taylor said the incident involved Williams and Cosley, who have a history, encountering each other that evening.

Cosley appeared to be caught off guard and dropped his cellphone and pulled a gun from his waistband, pointing it at Williams, Taylor said. Williams pulled a gun from his waistband and the two exchanged words before going their separate ways.

Later, Williams was in a sedan and it appeared there was "kickback" as a gun fired in the direction of Cosley and an unknown individual, Taylor said.

Cosley, 43, of Hagerstown, was released from incarceration about two weeks earlier in a Frederick County case in which he'd been charged with two counts each of attempted first-degree murder for allegedly shooting Williams and another man on July 5, 2022, in the area of the 1000 block of Heather Ridge Drive in Frederick, according to court records.

Williams was shot twice in the back, had a collapsed lung and parts of his lung were removed, according to Cosley's charging documents in the Frederick case.

Williams and another man who was shot were running to a fight when they were shot, court records state.

Cosley entered an Alford plea to illegal possession of a regulated firearm in that Frederick case. The other charges were dismissed due to lack of cooperation from witnesses, according to court documents.

Cosley was sentenced to time served, about eight and a half months.

Judge asks why Dyshez Williams' charges were pleaded down

Among the charges dropped in Williams' plea deal in the Washington County case were two counts each of attempted first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.

Wilson asked Taylor why the state was pleading the case down to reckless endangerment from a car. Later, the judge explained a community group had asked him why it seemed "incredible cases" were being pleaded out "so low."

Taylor cited multiple reasons, including that in this case the state did not believe it was an attempted murder situation.

She explained the history the two men have from the Frederick case and that it's believed the two men met by chance on May 23. Cosley drew first and Williams drew a gun in return before they went their separate ways, she said. Williams later fired toward Cosley from the car.

One of the responding officers, who filed the charging documents, has been on military deployment for months, Taylor further explained.

Also, the local State's Attorney's office has had "great difficulty" trying to find Cosley and other witnesses, "who call the office and don't leave kind words," she said.

Taylor also noted that Williams has "back up time" from other Frederick cases.

After the hearing, Taylor said Williams was facing over 22 years of time that had been suspended in those other cases, time he could end up doing as he goes through the probation violation process.

Assistant Public Defender Robert Kline said he did not want to minimize the Hagerstown case, but asked for Wilson to consider a two- to three-year sentence. Kline said Williams, a father, needs to get back to his family. He said his client also is facing "significant backup time" in Frederick.

Taylor asked the judge to order time within the recommended sentencing guidelines for the case, which was four to five years.

Wilson said he would leave it to the Frederick County judge to determine if any further sentencing in the Frederick cases would be consecutive or concurrent to the five-year sentence he issued for Williams.

What about Cosley and the juvenile charged in the May 23, 2023, incident?

Cosley, who did not fire his gun in the May 23 incident, was charged with two misdemeanor gun crimes — handgun on person and handgun in vehicle.

Those charges were dropped in October, according to court records.

State's Attorney Gina Cirincion, in an email Tuesday, explained why those charges were dropped.

The same Hagerstown officer who has been on military deployment for many months is the one who identified Cosley, she wrote. And since authorities did not recover the gun, "it could not be tested for operability," she wrote.

Hagerstown Police also alleged that a 15-year-old male fired shots from the same car at Cosley and the unidentified fourth male, according to court records. That fourth suspect appeared to fire two shots.

The juvenile was charged as an adult, including two counts each of attempted first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder, according to Hagerstown Police.

During a May 31 bond hearing for the juvenile, Deputy District Public Defender Sean Mukherjee said the teen had been overcharged on evidence that was "at best sparse."

Taylor said Monday that a hearing is scheduled for April to determine if the juvenile's case will be transferred to juvenile court.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Man gets 5 years for Hagerstown shooting, faces more time in Frederick