Murder/Suicide Leaves 11-Year-Old Boy Dead
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- There have been five murders in just five days across Baltimore City. One of the victims was an 11-year-old boy found shot to death Sunday morning.
Rochelle Ritchie has more on the boy and the suspect.
Baltimore police say the 11-year-old boy was shot in the head by his father, who then turned the gun on himself.
It was a disturbing discovery on the 19-hundred block of Pulaski Highway. A Baltimore police officer on routine patrol found a boy and man shot to death.
"The father and son were last seen on January 1. On January 2, the mom called and filed a missing person report with us," said Lt. Eric Kowalcyzk.
In the backseat of the car were 11-year-old Matthew Thomas and his father, the suspected gunman. Police are calling it a murder/suicide.
"At the time, there was no indication that there was cause for concern. There was no indication there was going to be an act of violence so it didn't go in as a critical missing as you see sometimes with Amber alerts that go out," said Kowalcyzk.
Matthew is the fourth murder victim out of five so far this year. Baltimore City police say the murders that have sparked across the city since the beginning of the year are not random acts of violence, although the victims have been murdered in similar ways by being shot in the head.
On Saturday, police found a man shot in the head on the 26-hundred block of Seville Avenue. Another man was found shot in the head on the 45-hundred block of Erdman Avenue and another fatality---also by a gunshot to the head---on the 5-hundred block of Queensgate Road.
"These incidents look like all of these victims had some connectivity to the shooter. in other words, these aren't random acts of violence," said Kowalcyzk.
Police say they have very few details as to what led up to the shooting of the 11-year-old, who would have been returning to school Monday after Christmas break.
Police could not confirm if the father had a criminal past.
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