Teen Who Shot Rodgers Forge Soccer Coach Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

A Baltimore County judge sentenced the teenager who shot and nearly killed a beloved Rodgers Forge youth soccer coach during a daylight attempted robbery to 25 years in prison Monday.

In what prosecutor Matt Darnbrough called "an outrageous demonstration of violence," Kai Wilson, 17, approached Mark McKenzie from behind as the youth soccer coach and father of three was removing soccer balls from the back of his car in the alley behind his home in the 400 block of Dunkirk Road on Sept. 13, 2024.

Wilson, who was 15 at the time, fired a single shot that pierced McKenzie's abdomen, causing life-threatening injuries. McKenzie underwent five surgeries and more than 20 procedures. He was kept on life support for 12 days and remained in intensive care for 38 days.

In his victim impact statement, McKenzie described the physical trauma, financial strain, and lasting impact the shooting had on his family and community.

"You chose on Friday, September 13, 2024, your desire to take from another was more important than another man's life," McKenzie told Wilson. "You consciously chose to take an already stolen car and cause more harm and destruction. But you didn't just attack a man. You attacked an entire community."

Defense attorney Donna D'Alessio argued that McKenzie believed the gun was a BB gun and grabbed for it, causing the firearm to discharge during a brief struggle.

"Kai Wilson was not intending to injure Mr. McKenzie that day," she said. "He was not even planning on firing."

D'Alessio told Judge Robert Cahill that Wilson endured a childhood marked by trauma and adversity but has demonstrated since his arrest that he is capable of changing. She asked the judge to impose a sentence within the state sentencing guidelines of eight to 15 years.

"Kai himself is more than this choice that he made that day," she said.

Cahill rejected the defense's request, saying Wilson's actions before and after the shooting demonstrated planning and an effort to conceal the crime.

"The facts of this case could hardly get worse," Cahill said before imposing the maximum sentence allowed under the plea agreement. "Particularly in light of the fact that the victim in this case is everybody's definition of what a good community citizen is."

Prosecutors said McKenzie was in the alley around 11:30 a.m. when a masked gunman approached him from behind, pressed a semiautomatic handgun to his head, and said, "You know what this is."

The assailant struck McKenzie with the handgun and, after a brief struggle, fired a single shot into his abdomen. Home security video showed the teen running away as McKenzie collapsed onto the pavement.

Police said Wilson got into a stolen white Kia Sportage driven by Kamar Thompson, who was 16 at the time. The pair fled the scene, running a red light at Dunkirk and York roads, according to police. Additional surveillance video recorded later that day showed the pair pouring bleach on the stolen vehicle while it was parked near Wilson's home in the 1100 block of North Kenwood Avenue.

In April, Wilson and Thompson entered Alford pleas in connection with the shooting and attempted robbery.

Wilson accepted responsibility for attempted second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime under a binding plea agreement calling for a maximum 40-year sentence with all but 25 years suspended.

The suspended portion of the sentence means Wilson could be ordered to serve some or all of the remaining 15 years if he violates the terms of his probation after his release.

Cahill agreed to recommend Wilson for evaluation at the Patuxent Institution, a state correctional facility that offers specialized treatment and rehabilitation programs for eligible youthful offenders.

Cahill sentenced Thompson, Wilson's accomplice, to the same 25-year active sentence in May after Thompson entered an Alford plea to attempted armed robbery and using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.

Because Wilson entered a binding plea agreement, Cahill could not impose a sentence greater than the negotiated cap but retained the discretion to impose a shorter sentence.

That was not the case with Thompson. In his case, Cahill imposed a sentence 10 years longer than the prosecution had recommended. Thompson's attorney has since filed a motion appealing the sentence, arguing that Thompson was unaware that the judge could impose a sentence longer than what the State had recommended. That hearing is scheduled for July 30.