Baltimore Mayor Implores Residents to Stop Shooting Each Other amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Baltimore mayor Jack Young on Wednesday implored city residents to stop shooting each other amid the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, following an attack on Tuesday in which a suspect shot seven people.
“We’re dealing with the COVID virus and those of you who want to continue to shoot and kill people in this city we’re not going to tolerate it,” Young said at a press conference. “We’re going to come after you and we’re going to get you.”
The shooting occurred in daylight around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, when the suspect pulled out a rifle and shot into a crowd of people. The suspect is still at large, with no known motive.
“We can not clog up our hospitals and their beds with people who are being shot senselessly because we’re going to need those for people who might be infected with the coronavirus,” Young said. “It could be your mother, your grandmother, one of your relatives so take that into consideration and put down the guns.”
Meanwhile, Baltimore state attorney Marilyn Mosby announced on Wednesday that her office would cease prosecuting certain offenses in an attempt to prevent coronavirus cases from cropping up in jail. Those offenses include drug possession and distribution (including heroin), prostitution, trespassing and minor traffic offenses.
“An outbreak in prison or jails could potentially be catastrophic,” Mosby said. “Now is not the time for a piecemeal approach where we go into court and argue one one by one for the release of at-risk individuals.”
