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Gunman Responsible For 'Hail Of Bullets' Caught On School Bus Camera In Maryland Sentenced

Zachary Ciccantelli will avoid nearly 500 years in prison, but will still spend decades behind bars for initiating a Maryland shooting for an incident caught on camera, authorities announced on Friday.

Callen Baker speeding past the bus following the shooting.

Callen Baker speeding past the bus following the shooting.

Photo Credit: Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office
Photo Credit: Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office

Ciccantelli, 24, was sentenced to 490 years in prison, with all but 45 years to serve, followed by five years of supervised release after he and getaway driver Callen Baker were convicted in connection to "a hail of gunfire" that was reported in Rockville in March 2023.

Prosecutors say that on March 1, 2023, Ciccantelli and Baker arrived in the neighborhood in the 700 block of Monroe Street at the Fireside Park Apartment complex in the middle of the afternoon and opened fire on a group of people recording a music video.

Ciccantelli fired the gunshots, while Baker provided him with the weapon and drove the getaway vehicle.

According to the state's attorney's office, at the time of the shooting, there was a school bus dropping off children at the time which captured the sounds of gunfire and the getaway car fleeing on its surveillance video.

Several of the victims fired back, they noted, and multiple bullets struck nearby apartment buildings that were occupied at the time gunshots rang out.

In total, more than 20 shell casings were recovered by investigators from the Montgomery County Department of Police and a ghost gun was found at the scene.

Baker was sentenced to 400 years in prison with all but 30 years to serve.

“If you’re willing to engage in this type of activity you belong in jail, and for a long time," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy stated.

"There was zero regard for the innocent lives in close proximity to the reckless gunfire."  

The judge also recommended that Ciccantelli be admitted to the Patuxent Youthful Offenders Program while he serves his time.

The Patuxent Institution opened in 1955 "with the mission to ensure public safety through the psychotherapeutic treatment of individuals who demonstrated persistent antisocial and criminal behavior," officials said.

"The mission has evolved over the years, but the one constant has been Patuxent’s role as a hub for treatment services for the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services."

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