A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old Patterson High School student.
The Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office said Roger Alvarado-Mendoza was sentenced to life in prison, with all but 45 years suspended, for the March 6, 2023, shooting of Izaiah Carter.
Carter was shot in the head at Joseph E. Lee Park near the school, in the 5900 block of East Pratt Street in Southeast Baltimore.
Alvarado-Mendoza was arrested March 21, 2023, in Texas while trying to flee the country, police said. He was extradited to Baltimore and charged with first-degree murder.
Mother remembers learning of son’s death
Carter’s mother, Michelle Hines, said she became concerned when her son didn’t come home from school at his usual time.
She recalled receiving an automated message from Patterson High School saying there had been a shooting near campus, but that all students were safe.
Relieved, she then received a personal call from a school staff member who was sobbing. That’s when she learned her son, Izaiah, had been shot and was advised to wait for police contact.
Hines said she had been worried about violence in Baltimore City Public Schools and had considered removing her son from the district before the shooting.
After the incident, school administrators held a press conference outlining safety measures, but Hines questioned the sincerity of those efforts.
Izaiah Carter remembered
Carter was a JROTC cadet at Patterson High.
Ricky Johnson, a chef at Forno, where Carter worked, described him as “really kind of shy, kind of goofy, got along great with everyone.”
“His mom was in a lot, and she would check up on him, make sure he’s doing what he’s supposed to do and listening to everyone,” Johnson said.
Johnson added that Carter’s cousin and father also worked at the restaurant. His father, a chef there, was part of what Johnson called a strong family support system.
Members of the Bayview Community Association in Southeast Baltimore held a vigil in Carter’s memory.
