Murder of Jai'den Winchester: The shooting occurred after a Halloween party

The shooting that killed a 14-year-old high school football player in Harford County came after a Halloween party last weekend, according to charging documents.

A 16-year-old classmate was charged with killing Jai’den Winchester, police said. Jai’den played football at Havre de Grace High School. The suspect has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and firearms offenses.

The Baltimore Banner is not identifying the teen because he is a minor.

At the Halloween party in Aberdeen, several people saw the 16-year-old with a black gun, Aberdeen police said in charging documents. The homeowner ended the party and had everyone leave, according to the documents, and six people entered the 2020 Nissan Sentra where Jai’den was found.

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Once in the car, Jai’den said something that upset the 16-year-old, according to witnesses who gave statements to police. The teen told Jai’den to “stop playing” and shortly afterwards a shot rang out, witnesses said.

Police found a gun in the Nissan and determined it was registered to the 16-year-old’s father. The suspect is not legally allowed to possess a firearm in Maryland; a person must be at least 21 years old to own a gun in Maryland.

When police first encountered the suspect, he said he was scared and that the shooting was an accident, according to charging documents.

In a letter to parents, Brad Spence, principal of Havre de Grace High School, said the school community will forever remember Jai’den “as a friend and warrior. We will focus our concerns on the well-being of our Warrior family as we deal with this tragic loss.”

The school will be closed through Wednesday as part of a planned break for Harford County schools.

This is the second time this fall that gun violence has claimed the life of a student at a Harford County school. Warren Curtis Grant, 15, of Edgewood, was shot dead by a fellow student in the bathroom at Joppatowne High School during the first week of school.