Baltimore Police Take Action After Surge Of Violence Across City
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A bloody weekend on Baltimore City streets, including three murders in just one day. One victim killed was the city council president's nephew.
Now police are getting help from the feds to help solve these violent crimes.
Meghan McCorkell has more on the city's action plan.
For the next few months, city homicide detectives will team up with federal partners to try and solve more cases. Neighbors say it can't come soon enough.
In the middle of a sunny Saturday afternoon, a man -- shot in the head -- lay dying along Elmley Avenue. The victim was 29-year-old Stephen Jackson -- the nephew of city council president Jack Young.
"I'm afraid for my kids, for myself," said Caroline Wyscarver.
Jackson is one of three people killed Saturday alone, as bloodshed breaks out across the city. That surge of violence started on Thursday along West Lanvale, where five people were shot right in the middle of the afternoon.
"Broad daylight. People don't care no more," Laversa Jackson said.
Police say they've found the stolen Honda Pilot that was used in the shooting, but they're still looking for two men seen in surveillance pictures. They're being called "persons of interest" in the case.
Laversa Jackson tells WJZ she heard the gunshots as she was driving near the intersection.
"It's sad when you've living in an area that you can't stand in a door. You've got to duck. Like they say, you've got to get low. It's sad," said Jackson.
Police patrols continue, as investigators plead for tips in these bold daytime crimes.
"That leads us to believe that folks not only witnessed it, but certainly know about it. And we need those folks to come forward," said Deputy Commissioner Kevin Davis, Baltimore City Police Department.
The city is now partnering with the Department of Justice for a review of the homicide unit to help crack more cases.
Investigators say they are starting to get more tips in these cases, with calls up to 300 percent this year.
About a dozen people from the Police Executive Research Forum will be working with Baltimore's homicide unit to review how cases are handled.
