'Endless calls for help': Critics say Baltimore police mishandled mass shooting response
The mother of a woman who was killed in a July block party shooting in Baltimore is among those demanding answers from the city's police department for its response to the shooting – and for its priorities before the violence unfolded.
Krystal Gonzalez lost her daughter Aaliyah, 18, on July 2 when a group of teens shot into a crowded block party in Baltimore, killing Aaliyah and Kylis Fagbemi, 20. Among the 28 wounded in Baltimore’s Brooklyn Day celebration were teens and young adults.
Gonzalez addressed members of Baltimore City Council this week during an oversight hearing: “Knowing that there were calls – endless calls for help – and no one showed up. ... People did not care enough to check on them, to check on her. That’s not right.”
People called police nearly 30 times from 12:30 a.m. until 1:19 a.m. for reports of a shooting. Police began responding around 12:35 a.m. But police leaders say the response was flawed.
“Officer indifference may have compromised the awareness, planning and response to Brooklyn Day prior to the large crowds arriving,” department leaders wrote in their after-action report about the shooting. “Members of the community can view such indifference (whether real or perceived) as a form of bias.”
Council called the hearing Wednesday to continue discussions about what went wrong and how to address a devastating spike in youth violence.
What do critics say about the response of Baltimore police?
Community leaders have portrayed police as indifferent to a growing public gathering in Baltimore's majority-Black community. They say it's another example of a long history of poverty and neglect and question if the response would have been different if the party took place in an affluent, white-majority neighborhood.
Police have said the event was not permitted. Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said in July the police weren't aware the event was taking place until hours before the shooting unfolded. But an August report also found officers and supervisors repeatedly ignored warnings about the crowd size, which rose to nearly 1,000 people, where some people appeared armed and "disorderly," according to the report.
What happened at the Baltimore block party?
An annual block party at Brooklyn Homes, a two-story public housing project with almost 500 apartments, took place in July. The shooting started just after 12:30 a.m. Victims' ages ranged from 13 to 32, police said in July.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called for more accountability and said he was disappointed in some people videoing the aftermath of the shooting.
"This act of violence has shaken our city to the very core," he said. "We are all grappling with the shock, pain and trauma that accompanies such a heinous act of destruction."
Police arrested five teens, four of whom are charged with shooting into the crowd. The department said the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are likely.
Gonzalez rushed to the scene in disbelief after getting a call about the shooting.
Seeing her daughter’s body sprawled beneath a white sheet, Gonzalez said, she was unable to process what was happening. Her pain only deepened when she found out about the police department's shortcomings.
City report finds police ignored warnings about the party
An August report found officers and supervisors repeatedly ignored warnings about the crowd size.
The report stated Baltimore police were in the area from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for a short time and responded to calls for service. A supervisor called out "David No," which meant no police services required in regard to an armed person near Gretna Court, where the party was taking place.
Some command-level supervisors were reassigned and disciplinary actions were launched in response to the shooting.
Contributing: John Bacon, Kayla Jimenez, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Critics say Baltimore police mishandled July mass shooting response
