Man charged with second-degree murder for man's death in Baltimore harbor

BALTIMORE — A Maryland man was charged with second-degree murder after police say he fought with another man and then pushed him into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

James Fitzsimmons, 36, of Parkville, is accused of killing James Britt, 37, of Baltimore, on Sunday afternoon.

According to court documents, police have obtained surveillance video showing the men fighting in an alley before Britt retreated and crossed the street toward the water. Fitzsimmons then caught up to him and pushed him into the harbor, police said.

Fitzsimmons told investigators that Britt jumped in the water, and that when Britt’s girlfriend said he couldn’t swim, he replied, “Oh well,” and walked away.

Rescue divers responding to a reported drowning found Britt, who was declared dead at a hospital.

Fitzsimmons, who is also charged with manslaughter and assault, is due in court Aug. 27. No attorney is listed for him in court records, and no phone number for him could be found.