BALTIMORE — For the fourth time in less than a month a 15-year-old was killed in Baltimore City.
This shooting outside of a corner store in Southeast Baltimore at the intersection of E. Baltimore and South Highland Ave.
Just walking a few blocks in the area several people came up to me to tell me he was a great kid and this shouldn’t have happened to him.
community members have been bringing out candles and flowers to the spot where he was killed.
“I know the gentlemen, i know his dad, I don’t know his son,” said Luis George, It’s sad to think that is what happened. 15-years-old, it’s difficult to think that child would have any real problems someone would want to take out on them.”
A family friend shared pictures with me from an invitation to his 15th birthday just a few weeks ago.
I talked to some family members who told me he was his mother's only boy.
The family lives in this neighborhood and the people who live and work here say the violence has to stop.
“More of a police presence,” George said. “They used to have a big van here ya know a couple of years ago. More officers patrolling the neighborhood.”
Zeke Cohen, the Councilman for the district, has been at the forefront of creating a trauma informed care task force to train all city agencies to respond to trauma.
“This is an enormous amount of trauma and grief that has now been inflicted onto this family and onto this entire community,” said Cohen. “We need to simply say enough is enough. The work around healing is so deeply urgent. It is painful as a father and former educator not just to lose a community member but to lose a child.”
In the largely Hispanic speaking neighborhood, Cohen said it’s important for anyone who knows anything to reach out with confidence that they have no intention of working with I.C.E or putting anyone’s identity in danger.
“We gotta make sure that in all languages we’re communicating with each other and breaking down the silos. Making sure everybody knows they can trust institutions of government.”
Police have not made any arrests in this case.
The shooting happened right around 2 in the afternoon at the busy intersection
If you know or saw anything reach out to police you can leave an anonymous tip with Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-lockup.
