25 years behind bars for teen who shot Baltimore County father outside his home

A teenager who plead guilty to shooting a father outside his Towson home in 2024 was sentenced Monday to 25 years for attempted murder.

Kai Wilson, a repeat juvenile offender, was 15 when he shot and seriously injured 50-year-old Mark McKenzie during a robbery in Rodgers Forge.

Speaking outside court Monday, McKenzie thanked everybody from police and prosecutors to medical staff and complete strangers.

"The police were there within two minutes that day, the ambulance was there within four minutes. If those things do not occur, I'm not here today," he said.

McKenzie also expressed gratitude to the community. "From strangers to great friends to neighbors who have gone completely out of their way to care for me, for my wife, my kids," McKenzie said. "I am truly grateful and I'll never be able to repay that."

McKenzie was shot on Sept. 13, 2024, in the alley behind his home on the 400 block of Dunkirk Road.

Surveillance footage from cameras in that alley helped lead to Wilson's arrest.

According to authorities, the video showed Wilson approach McKenzie as he was cleaning out his car and pull out a gun. A struggle followed, during which McKenzie was shot in the abdomen at close range.

Wilson was charged as an adult. A judge agreed with prosecutors who asked that Wilson receive a 25-year sentence, which was above the guidelines of 8-15 years.

Kai Wilson's attorney, Donna D'Alessio, said her client was not intending to injure the victim. "This is the result of a 15-year-old carrying a loaded gun and having an impulsive panic decision." 

She said Wilson's childhood was "marked by trauma, instability, mental illness, and relentless exposure to violence." D'Alessio said before the age of 15 he was shot at on at least seven separate occasions and said he was diagnosed with PTSD

A 16-year-old, who police said served as the getaway driver, was also charged in the case.