Two dead, six injured in five separate shootings across Baltimore on Friday, police say
Two people died and six others were hospitalized after five separate shootings — including three double shootings — that unfolded in neighborhoods across Baltimore Friday afternoon, leaving residents alarmed at the brazen displays of daytime violence.
The first shooting was reported around 2 p.m. in Otterbein, two blocks from the Inner Harbor.
Baltimore police said two male victims were hospitalized with injuries after officers found them in the 500 block of S. Charles Street. One of the victims, a 20-year-old male had died at Shock Trauma.
Homicide detectives are in control of this investigation
The shooting stunned Connor Murray, 28, who lives in a nearby apartment building.
“Holy [expletive]. I moved here to get away from this [expletive],” said Murray, 28, who moved to the Otterbein area from Canton after several incidents there, including having his car stolen and being robbed at gunpoint. “This city is next level.”
Another neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her safety, said she had stepped outside for a smoke break a little before 2 p.m. when she heard five gunshots loud and clear. She later discovered the shooting scene right around the corner from her apartment.
“At first I thought it must be fireworks or something, but in the middle of the day? This area is real busy,” she said.
She said another woman was walking her dog nearby when the shots rang out and the two looked at each other startled and incredulous, their faces reflecting the same alarm.
While detectives processed the scene, they focused on a dark blue minivan with its passenger door hung open and license plate hanging askew. The vehicle was parked along the side of S. Charles Street. It appeared the victims were approaching the car or getting inside when the shooting unfolded.
Some clothes and other items lay strewn on the pavement near the van, including a pair of sunglasses, a red backpack and some cash. Police placed evidence markers next to at least two shell casings that had landed in the street.
The scene itself was relatively quiet, but several people walked by and asked what happened, reacting with shock.
Two employees of a nearby restaurant said they heard popping sounds from inside the kitchen but thought little of it. They laughed in grim disbelief at the scene.
“I didn’t really think it was gunshots because we’re downtown, we’re in the harbor,” one of them said, asking to remain anonymous because of safety concerns. “I thought it was a construction site or something.”
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison arrived on scene about an hour after the shooting and spoke with investigating officers. He declined to provide additional information about the incident, saying the details were still speculative and the investigation just beginning.
About an hour later, two people were shot on the other side of downtown in the Upton neighborhood, police said.
Officers responded to a shooting at 3:18 p.m. in the 1700 block of McCulloh Street, where they found an unidentified male victim shot in the chest and a woman shot in the right leg. Medics transported them to an area hospital, where the male victim is in serious condition and undergoing surgery, while the woman is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
While investigating that incident, police established a sprawling crime scene spanning at least three blocks that contained two clusters of evidence markers near the intersection of McCulloh and Wilson streets.
Officers escorted residents to their homes inside the taped-off crime scene, while a large group of kids played in an elementary school field nearby.
John Williams, 48, was getting ready to head to the store when he heard about a half-dozen loud gunshots. He said he looked outside his rowhouse on McCulloh Street and saw a crowd of people running.
“They were running like chickens with their heads cut off — running, falling and running again,” he said. “I didn’t know what was going on. Then I looked down the block and saw the two victims.”
Williams said one of the victims collapsed on McCulloh Street and the other was near the Wilson Street intersection. He said police rolled up quickly and cordoned off the area.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with these people,” he said. “The weather gets nice and they start shooting.”
However, Williams added, his block has gotten quieter since he moved there four years ago. He hopes that’s because some of the young men who congregate in the area have gotten older and wiser.
Shortly after 5 p.m., police responded to yet another double shooting, this time in the 4800 block of Cordelia Avenue off Reisterstown Road in Northwest Baltimore. Patrol officers heard the gunfire, rushed to the scene and discovered two victims — a 21-year-old man and 29-year-old female — with non-life threatening gunshot wounds.
Minutes later, around 5:25 p.m., a 53-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound several miles away in East Baltimore’s Oldtown. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Later at approximately 8:37 p.m., officers responded to the 3100 block of Frederick Avenue in Southwest Baltimore for discharging.
Upon arrival, police located evidence of discharging but no victim. A short time later, officers received a call for a shooting victim who walked into an area hospital seeking treatment.
Officers responded and located a 35-year-old male who had been shot in his back. The victim’s injuries are not life threatening.
Homicide detectives are asking anyone with information to contact them at 410-396-2100 or call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup with information about any of the shootings.
