Four people are still in critical condition Monday afternoon following an early Sunday morning mass shooting at the annual Brooklyn Day block party at the Brooklyn Homes complex in southwest Baltimore. Authorities are now offering up to $28,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
Seven of the 28 people injured on Sunday are still hospitalized as of Monday afternoon. Most of the victims are teenagers. Aaliyah Gonzalez, an 18 year-old recent high-school graduate and 20 year-old Kylis Fegbemi were killed.
Police do not know if the attack was targeted or random but have confirmed multiple shooting suspects. Interim Police Chief Richard Worley spoke at a press conference Monday afternoon. “We do know there were multiple weapons and multiple casings that were recovered, we won't go into what exactly was recovered,” Worley said. “But we do know that there were multiple in both incidences.” No further suspect information was given.
Saturday evening, Brooklyn residents had been enjoying pony rides, BBQs, a DJ and games in the balmy Baltimore heat. That gave way to heartbeat and terror when gunshots rang out in the early hours of the morning on Sunday.
A video circulating on social media shows a young man pulling a semi-automatic weapon out of his bag while surrounding teenagers attempt to hop a fence to flee the scene. Worley said police are investigating “so much” cellphone and video footage from the night.
“We won’t stop until we find those responsible and hold them accountable, we won’t,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, a Democrat. “With that said, we need the help of our residents and anyone that knows anything to come forward and say something so that we can bring those who are recklessly carrying out acts of violence like this to justice.”
Baltimore police say the block party was “unpermitted” and therefore they did not have adequate time to provide a police presence. Police reported first hearing calls about the shooting just after 12:30am on Sunday.
In the past, Worley said police have been notified about Brooklyn Day directly or alerted via social media posts, but that was not the case this year. A thorough investigation into both the shooting and the police response is underway, according to Worley.
Multiple city staff, including social workers and mental health professionals, will continue to be on site near the 800 block of Gretna Green for an unspecified amount of time to help the community grieve, process and heal. That’s according to Stefanie Mavronis, the interim director of the Mayor’s Office for Public Safety and Engagement– the office that oversees many of the wraparound services related to gun violence prevention.
“The loss of our South Baltimore neighbors is not easy,” said Mavronis. “We know that their families and the community and all of us in this time will face the trauma associated with this event, these losses, and these injuries for years to come.”
Gonzalez, one of the slain victims, recently graduated from Glen Burnie High School in Anne Arundel County. School Principal Kevin Carr sent out a public letter to staff and students in which he described Gonzalez as a student who made the honor roll every marking period in the last school year and “was looking forward to a bright future.”
Carr went on to encourage family and community members to talk about and process the event, writing that “Children learn how to deal with grief by watching adults deal with grief. Please do not be afraid to express your emotions in front of your children. Healthy outlets of emotions can be a valuable lesson for them.” Though school is out for the summer, Carr said school counselors are available for students that need them.
