Police Investigate As 20 People Shot Over The Weekend In Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Twenty people shot, eight of them killed--all in one weekend. Now Baltimore City Police are battling back against the spate of violence citywide.
Meghan McCorkell has more on the police plan.
The police commissioner says he will continue to battle gangs and guns after a violent weekend.
Hundreds gather to honor the memory of 18-year-old Donyae Jones, known as "Dolly."
"Very loving. She was a great sister, a great daughter, a great niece. I couldn't ask for a better niece," said Maurice Wilson, victim's uncle.
Jones died trying to escape a hail of bullets fired along Kenwood Avenue.
Denisha Johnson was shot in the foot.
"Bullets don't got no name on them. I know it's not for me because I'm not even from around here," Johnson said.
The women--two of twenty people shot in Baltimore City over the weekend. Now city police are fighting back.
"This is a spike. We will respond to that spike and we will be very assertive about responding to the spike," said Commissioner Anthony Batts, Baltimore City Police.
The police commissioner has stepped up patrols in the areas where the shootings occurred and is trying to put as many foot patrols out as possible.
WJZ spotted the Mobile Crime Unit and countless patrol cars in the Kenwood Avenue neighborhood. But crime experts say it's not enough.
"Levels of violence aren't going to go away simply because we put more police on the street or we have longer sentences or more people behind bars," said Dr. Jeffrey Ian Ross, Baltimore criminologist.
Safe Streets Baltimore--now trying to get the community involved.
"We try to spread the message. Let's stop the shooting and let's start living," said Gardnel Carter, Safe Streets.
A move for change, as eight families say goodbye to loved ones lost to violence.
Related Story: Double Shooting Adds To Already Staggering Violence Across City
The commissioner is reaching out to both state and federal partners to try to stop the violence in the city.
The Baltimore City Council has called for Commissioner Batts to appear before the Public Safety Committee this Wednesday night to discuss the spike in violence.
