Investigators say three masked men approached as a resident and friend were outside, turning a neighborhood Halloween night into a deadly confrontation.
COCKEYSVILLE, Md. — A Cockeysville resident and a friend were handing out Halloween candy when three masked men approached them late Saturday, according to new details in an investigation that ended with one man dead, two others wounded and criminal charges against the survivors.
The new account adds context to a shooting first reported as a confrontation between a homeowner and three masked men in the 10000 block of Greenside Drive. Baltimore County police initially said the men displayed a weapon in circumstances that suggested a possible robbery. Investigators have since said the encounter appears to have been targeted, and charging documents indicate the group went to the neighborhood to confront someone believed to be at the address.
Police were called to Greenside Drive at about 10:40 p.m. on Oct. 31. The resident told officers that three men wearing masks approached while he was in the driveway. At least one of the men was armed with a handgun, according to police accounts. CBS News Baltimore later reported that the homeowner and a friend had been outside handing out candy to trick-or-treaters.
The homeowner told investigators that the masked men ordered him and his friend inside the residence. Police said the homeowner drew his own firearm and fired at the men, who then fled. He called 911 after the shooting, according to investigators.
Officers searched the surrounding neighborhood and found 20-year-old Amon Walker dead at Cockeysville Middle School. The other two men, later identified as Elias Bitar, 22, and Aaron Walker Jr., 24, were located after going to local hospitals for treatment of their wounds. Police said Aaron Walker Jr. and Amon Walker were brothers.
Residents described the gunfire as jarring in a neighborhood where families had been celebrating Halloween earlier in the evening. One resident told WBAL-TV he initially mistook the sounds for fireworks. Another described the area as normally quiet and said the violence was unusual for the neighborhood.
Charging documents later shifted the focus of the investigation away from the initial possibility of a random encounter. According to records obtained by WBAL-TV, Aaron Walker Jr. told investigators that Amon Walker had asked him and Bitar to travel to Cockeysville to assault someone with whom Amon Walker had an unspecified problem. The homeowner was not identified in later reporting as the person the group was seeking.
Police charged Bitar and Aaron Walker Jr. with offenses including attempted home invasion, assault and firearm-related crimes. WBAL-TV also reported an attempted burglary charge from the court records. Both men were being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center in the latest available reports. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The shooting itself remains under investigation. Authorities have recovered firearms as part of the case, and detectives are continuing to determine the circumstances surrounding the encounter and the gunfire. Police have not announced charges against the resident who fired at the three men.
Baltimore County police have said the confrontation appears to have been an isolated, targeted incident and that there is no active threat to the community. Homicide detectives continue to investigate, including the relationship between the intended target described in charging documents and the Greenside Drive address.
Author note: Last updated Nov. 3, 2026.