Man pleads guilty to murder after 2024 deadly shooting at Baltimore apartment

A man has pleaded guilty to murder in connection with a 2024 shooting at a Baltimore apartment that left another man dead, according to the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office. 

Tyrone Epps also pleaded guilty to use of a firearm during a crime after the fatal shooting of Paul Lee at The Johnson Square Apartments in November 2024, court officials said. 

Epps is scheduled to be sentenced on June 8, 2026, and is expected to face a sentence of life in prison with between 30 and 50 years suspended, according to court officials. 

WJZ has reached out to Epps' attorney for a statement. 

Apartment shooting investigation 

Baltimore police arrived at the lobby of the apartment building at 501 E. Preston Street on Nov. 13, 2024, to find Lee unresponsive and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, court records show. 

Lee was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Staff members at the apartment told officials they suspected Epps, who lived in unit 414. 

After reviewing surveillance footage and audio, investigators saw that Epps approached Lee and appeared to try to start an argument with him, court records show. It did not appear that Lee engaged in the argument. 

Epps then pointed a gun at Lee as Lee attempted to leave the area. Video showed that Epps shot at Lee three times, hitting him twice, according to court records. 

At the time of the shooting, Lee was trying to hide behind another person, officials said. 

After the shooting, Epps fled the scene on foot and was later arrested, records show. He provided a statement after waiving his Miranda rights, indicating that Lee had harassed him when he moved into the building. 

Epps further told police that he got tired of Lee's behavior and admitted to getting a gun, following Lee into the lobby and shooting him, according to court officials. 

Victim remembered as family man

Lee is remembered as a family man. His mother, Rhonda Miller, told WJZ that Lee was a man of his word. 

"One time he got locked up, he said, 'Ma, when I get out of here, I'm going back to school, I'll make you proud,'" Miller said. "He did what he said he was going to do."

Lee is survived by his 11-year-old son, the family said. 

"If I know anything about my brother, he was thinking about his son the whole time that was happening to him," Kevon Miller said.