Police Continue To Search For Suspect Who Shot 9-Year-Old Girl
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Police are still looking for the person who shot a nine-year-old girl and killed the man taking care of her. The crime has sparked outrage across Baltimore.
Investigator Mike Hellgren reports there will be a rally Monday night.
The little girl will recover physically but this leaves an emotional scar. The cousin of the man who died says there's a lack of respect for human life.
Surveillance video shows the suspects running from the scene Friday night. Moments before, at 25th and Barclay, they opened fire and a bullet grazed a nine-year-old girl and killed Ali-Rashid Butler---whose cousin says was watching her at the time. The little girl is the latest innocent bystander shot on city streets this blood summer; a 10-year-old was hit off North Avenue earlier this month. A 93-year-old was shot the week before and a nine-year-old boy was shot in the foot a few weeks before that.
In the latest case on Barclay, police put out a picture of the suspect, who remains on the loose.
The victim's cousin says whoever shot him then ran down an alley and left him to die like a dog in the street. There are plenty of other cameras; the cousin says he's confident authorities will catch whoever did this.
"I have a nine-year-old daughter so I take it personally," said Munir Bahar.
Bahar is outraged. He's held 300 Man Marches across Baltimore; he says shooting kids crosses the line.
"I'm just sick and tired of the fact that we have an environment where children aren't even safe in their own neighborhoods," he said. "This is evil. This is wicked and, as a man in this community, I can't stand for it."
With Baltimore on track to see 300 murders, police have focused on getting illegal guns off the streets and sending a message by bringing federal charges in some cases.
"People are carrying those guns for a reason and the key to cutting down on shootings and murders in Baltimore is to take those gun offenses seriously," said Rod Rosenstein.
The injured nine-year-old girl is now out of the hospital.
