Two defendants who staged a shootout on Monroe Street in Rockville on March 1, 2023 were found guilty by a jury on Wednesday in the county’s Circuit Court. Callen Baker, 20, of Jefferson, MD., and Zachary Ciccantelli, 24, of Rockville, were found guilty of 18 counts of first-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, use of a firearm in commission of a crime of violence and reckless endangerment.
On the day of the crime at approximately 3:45 p.m. the defendants arrived in the 700 block of Monroe Avenue where a music video was being recorded. They opened fire on people on the scene, some of whom returned fire. Multiple rounds struck nearby apartment buildings, which were occupied at the time. Montgomery County Police recovered more than 20 shell casings and a ghost gun from the scene.
State’s Attorney John McCarthy stated, “This is the kind of senseless violence that terrifies our community. The hail of gunfire occurred in a densely populated neighborhood in the middle of the day. There should be profound consequences for anyone who engages in this type of conduct, and we will urge the court to fashion an appropriate penalty at the time of sentencing.”
Both defendants face a maximum sentence of 500 years in prison. Baker will be sentenced on September 6, 2024, Ciccantelli a week later on September 13.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys Teresa Casafranca and Kimberly Cissel in the court of the Honorable Marielsa Bernard.
