BALTIMORE — Baltimore City released its after-action report of the July 2 mass shooting at Brooklyn Homes.
The shooting killed Aaliyah Gonzalez, 18, and Kylis Fagbemi, 20, and left 28 other people injured who were at the Brooklyn Day celebration in South Baltimore on that day.
The report examines the shooting, the response to it, as well as the aftermath.
READ THE REPORT: Compiled Agency After-Action Reports Regarding the Brooklyn Homes Mass Shooting
The after-action report includes individual reports from several City government agencies including the Baltimore Police Department, Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, Housing Authority, Office of Emergency Management, and Fire Department.
The report says the city's response to the shooting and resources provided in the aftermath were swift and comprehensive, however there were breakdowns in between.
The report suggests officer indifference may have significantly compromised the awareness, planning and response to the event, prior to large crowds forming.
On Brooklyn Day all three Southern District patrol shifts were fully staffed. There were several dozen discretionary officers available from other parts of the city who could've been deployed to help manage the situation but they were never called. District supervisors also opted against overlapping the shifts until the event cleared.
Brooklyn Homes BPD Timeline Leadup by Amanda EngelAccording to the report, BPD's Open Source Intel Unit monitored one social media post leading up to Brooklyn Day, but found no further postings about the event.
Despite receiving the information three days earlier, the Southern District did nothing to prepare in advance.
On the actual day of the event, no one from Open Source was working to monitor the latest happenings on social media.
"Had those personnel been available, they may have processed social media posts about Brooklyn Day that were happening in real time," the report stated.
Throughout the day, patrol officers received numerous calls for service near the event, which should have allowed them to see crowds and traffic forming.
Yet none of them appeared to be concerned enough to notify a supervisor. CitiWatch camera operators also made no mention of the crowd size until approximately 10:15pm that night.
Even then the report states that night time supervisors "gave very little consideration on the potential public safety concerns of having a crowd size of 800 to 900 people without sufficient police presence."
The report cites a couple instances of commanders declining to send officers into the crowd.
At different times of the night, 911 calls continued about problems in the area. On three occasions there were reports of a firearm being discharged. A police helicopter was called in to assess and determined fireworks were being shot off, prompting the calls to be closed out.
"You have a lot of fireworks being discharged that are actually still going off right now," the helicopter observer said over the radio. "As far as the group inside the Brooklyn Homes, everything appears to be normal right now. They’re just walking around, hanging out.”
At least some officers seemed to be caught completely off guard by the event.
"Looks like the citizens of Brooklyn snuck in Brooklyn Day on us," one sergeant said in a message to fellow supervisors.
Safe Streets staff, however, knew of the event by the end of June.
Workers were posted and canvassing the area starting at 3pm that day.
In the hours leading up to the shooting, the report notes Safe Streets intervened and helped mediate five conflicts involving Brooklyn Day attendees.
"Two were arguments between groups that had the potential to turn violent; one was a relationship dispute between two individuals; and two interventions involved Safe Streets staff persuading individuals known or believed to have guns to put them away and be safe," the report reads.
There is no indication police were ever made aware of these incidents beforehand. It's also unclear if the people involved in those altercations played a role in the violence later that evening.
Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley said Thursday the Southern District Commander in charge at the time has since been replaced and reassigned. Other personnel changes and disciplinary action could be handed down as the investigation continues, Worley said.
The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 fired back at the blame being placed on officers.
"[We] predicted the Southern District Police officers and command [staff] would be the scapegoats," the union said in a statement. "This is, in no way, the fault of the brave men and women of the BPD."
The union instead placed blame on former Commissioner Michael Harrison who they say allowed "anti-police sentiment and its proponents to flourish, resulting in the mass exodus of police and the current theme of making the police targets rather than violent offenders."
In previous years, Brooklyn Day has gone on without incident. The former district major put procedures in place on how to handle the event, but never shared it with their successor.
From the start, Brooklyn Day was a non-sanctioned event, according to the Housing Authority which owns and operates Brooklyn Homes.
It has occurred annually during the summer months for nearly three decades, although not on any particular day.
The Housing Authority denied having any prior notification regarding this year's festivities.
"In the past, HABC was notified in advance of the scheduled event and was able to coordinate with the Baltimore City Police Department and other appropriate city departments to provide any needed security resources for the day," they said in the report. "However, since COVID-19, the event has not been organized by the residents in the same manner and properly communicated to HABC."
Several future recommendations came from the report.
Monthly meetings will start between the city's Chief Administrative Officer and agency leaders to review and monitor progress.
The Housing Authority said they would expand on their Security Operations Center by adding a Vice President of Security and having that person partner with police commanders in each district to ensure proper deployment at public housing properties.
Another proposal called for weekly coordination to share information on future permitted events.
Under that policy the City would require notification for any event with more than 50 people in attendance. This would be included in a "neighborhood summary" compiled by districts to make everyone working aware.
Aside from increasing staffing levels and recruitment efforts, the report recommends improved communication protocols between intelligence and district command staff.
Two arrests have been made in this shooting. A 17-year-old was arrested and charged with weapons related violations.
Earlier this month, Tristan Jackson was arrested and charged with attempted murder.
Neither suspect faces murder charges.
It's believed at least one additional shooter is on the the loose, responsible for the deaths of Gonzalez and Fagbemi.
On Thursday a combined $88,000 reward was offered for information leading to another arrest.
Included in the report is a newly released body-worn camera video of an officer providing emergency medical care at the shooting scene on Gretna Court. (WARNING: The video includes language and may be disturbing to viewers.)
The report credits Officer Losak with saving the victim's life. Losak pulled the victim into his car, driving him and the victim's mother to the hospital.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott released this statement following the report's release.
“The mass shooting in Brooklyn Homes is one of the most painful chapters in our city’s history. The loss of two young lives, Aaliyah Gonzalez and Kylis Fagbemi, and the traumatic impact that it had on dozens and dozens of others will leave a devastating impact on our city forever.
“We can begin to heal that trauma by focusing on accountability and taking steps to ensure this never happens again in our city. With these After Action Reports, we’ve identified a number of findings, revelations, and recommendations that will offer us valuable insight into exactly what occurred or did not occur within City government leading up to this horrific act of violence. But they also lay the foundation for the path forward as we seek to address those shortcomings.
“We discussed the need for this type of detailed accounting the very night we arrived on the scene at Brooklyn Homes. These reports are only a first step. Now, we will continue to pursue the reforms necessary to respond. Baltimore City government agencies and counterparts fell short on our promise to our residents, and we will do everything in our power to ensure those mistakes are not repeated.
“We will also not rest until justice is served to those individuals who made the decision to pick up a gun with reckless disregard for the lives of their neighbors and turned a peaceful community event into a traumatic event. The investigation is not slowing down, and we will continue seeking the accountability that this community deserves.
“Baltimore, you have my word that we will address every misstep and, together, find a path forward to heal.”
The City Council already held a hearing on what unfolded that day, with a second one scheduled for September 13.
At the first hearing, Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley spoke on the actions taken by his department.
"We should have been actively working to find out when Brooklyn Day was," Worley said. "It was going to happen this year. It’s happened 27 years in a row. There was no reason [for it] not to happen this year."
To read the full report, click here.