BALTIMORE — Every digit in Baltimore's 2023 homicide count represents a person.
At Baltimore City Hall on Wednesday night: a chance to honor those people, and everyone who died last year, at a vigil of remembrance.
The Wednesday vigil was a remembrance for those we've lost in many ways: gun violence, drug overdoses, first responder deaths in the line of duty.
Tarento Brown was among the dozens in attendance Wednesday night. Brown told WMAR her family is still looking for justice in the case of her brother, Pedie Edwards. Edwards was reported missing in November, and police determined he was killed in Baltimore, but was found in New Jersey in December.
"I know that the murder rate is down, but when your loved one is still one of those numbers, it's still hard to accept," said Brown.
"We're here because we would like him remembered, and we would like justice for him," Brown continued.
Speeches from city officials included Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates and Fire Chief James Wallace.
"We remember those who responded to the flames, rushing into burning buildings to save lives, often at a cost of their own," Wallace said. They were the embodiment of bravery and true heroes who faced danger head-on without hesitation."
"This event is essential, because we have lost a lot of young people due to different gun violence," said Donna Bruce, who lost her son to an overdose in 2021, and now works closely with parents who have lost children, including those affected by last year's Brooklyn Day shooting.
Honoring victims like this, Bruce says, is important.
"It's good that we remember them," Bruce continued, "That we don't forget the loved ones that we've lost."
The names of each of the 263 homicide victims in Baltimore City were read aloud to the crowd.
