BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — Police in Baltimore County are investigating a shooting that left a child injured.
On Sunday afternoon, in the Garden Village area, longtime residents said they heard the shots that wounded the minor and sent him to the hospital.
RELATED: Juvenile shot at basketball court in Rosedale Sunday afternoon
“I saw this gentleman and his two young children run that way and I knew something must have happened,” said Benjamin Carter, who lives in the neighborhood.
Carter said the shooting happened right near a basketball court full of children.
“I heard something sound like fire crackers. I was wondering whether it was gunshots or firecrackers, cause I heard it. It was probably like six, like six pops,” Carter said.
The shooting happened near the corner of St. Regis and Marquette Road.
Another neighbor, who didn’t want to be identified, said that’s where a bunch of children were playing before those bullets started flying.
“At the basketball court, it was young children down there playing," they said. "In fact, I was out back loading up the truck when I heard the gunshots. It caught everybody off guard. We don’t normally get daytime shootings like that. Every once in a while you hear some shots go off at night but not in the daytime like that.”
Baltimore County Police said when they responded around 3:30 pm on Sunday they transported the minor to the hospital who was injured in that shooting. Neighbors said dangerous instances like this is why they don’t let their children play outside.
“We got a backyard, a nice size backyard that we can’t always put them in," a neighbor explained. "It’s a shame that we have to do that.”
Some people, like Carter, believe this culture of violence is becoming the norm.
Others believe the youth needs more positive outlets, along with parents and people in the community, to do more to help change the violent culture that’s becoming normal.
“Most children want to be guided, they want to be parented and I think a lot of times we get away from that because we are just so occupied with our own adult life that we forget our children. Parents got to get out of the house a little bit more and just engage the children I think that will help,” Carter said.
Police have not confirmed medical condition of the minor following that shooting.
Metro Crime Stoppers is now offering up to $2,000 to anyone that leads police to an arrest in this case while they are still investigating.
