Violence Continues Overnight In Baltimore: 15 Shot, 5 Killed In 24 Hours
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It's been a violent 24 hours in Baltimore with at least 15 people shot; at least five of those victims died.
Two of those people were shot overnight.
The two-day stretch marked the bloodiest of the year in the city.
'It's A Very Violent Day' | 12 Shot, 4 Killed In Baltimore Thursday
The brazen violence continued through the day Friday when a man was killed on Park Heights and Sumter Avenues in Northwest Baltimore.
Police say a person flagged down a nearby officer. Chopper 13 showed numerous shell casings on the ground there.
On Thursday, five people were shot in a single incident on Bloom Street near Pennsylvania Avenue. A 26-year-old man died in the shooting there. The rest are expected to survive.
James Hamlin runs The Avenue Bakery about two blocks away. He told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren he is not immune to the violence -- losing both his nephew and brother -- but he said things won't change until economic disparities are addressed.
"It's like a disease. We're treating the symptoms but not the root cause," Hamlin said.
He grew up in the area and said he was proud to open a business on Pennsylvania Avenue. It was once known as an entertainment destination -- drawing top performers from around the world.
"This community has been neglected," he said. "It has to get better."
The first incident happened Feb. 21 at 8:30 a.m. in the 1700 block of North Longwood Street.
Darius Davenport, 20, was found unresponsive in his car with a gunshot wound to his neck. He was pronounced dead.
Then at 11:08 a.m. officers responded to a Baltimore County hospital for a report of a walk-in shooting victim.
A 37-year-old man was shot in the neck. He's listed in critical condition. Police have not located a crime seem, but believe it's in the Eastern district.
At 2:47 p.m., officers responded to a report of another walk-in shooting victim. This time a 31-year-old man was being treated for a gunshot wound to his arm.
Detectives believe the man was in the 2500 block of Washington Boulevard when he was shot. He drove himself to the hospital.
A double shooting occurred on the 500 block of Chalgrove Avenue Thursday afternoon. too.
Police say a man and 27-year-old woman drove to a hospital with gunshot wounds. The man, Justin Forney, 27, later died as a result of his injuries.
Then at 6:15 p.m., officers heard gunshots coming from the area of Pennsylvania Avenue and Bloom Street. They found two shooting victims in the 500 block of Bloom Street.
A short time later, officers found another shooting victim at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and School Street. A fourth victim was found in the 1800 block of Pennslyvania Avenue and a fifth victim was found at the intersection of North Avenue and Monroe Street.
One of the victims, a 26-year old man, died from his injuries at the hospital. The other victims are all expected to survive. They are a 35-year old man with a gunshot wound to his back, a 19-year old man with a gunshot wound to his hand, a 25-year old man with a gunshot wound to his lower back, and a 46-year old man with a gunshot wound to his buttocks.
Then about an hour later at 7:38 p.m., officers were called to the 6300 block of Tramore Road. There they found a 39-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds. He died at an area hospital.
Police were also called to the 3600 block of E. Lombard Street for a reported shooting around 8:56 p.m. When police arrived, they found a 42-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his back. The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
Then overnight, Baltimore Police reported two more shootings.
At 12:10 a.m. officers responded to the 5400 block of Crismer Street. There they found 38-year-old Jason Hodge of the 8200 block of Arrowhead Road, suffering from gunshot wounds to the abdomen. Hodge was transported to Sinai Hospital where he died a short time later.
Then at 3 a.m. officers went to an area hospital for a report of a walk-in shooting victim.
A 55 year-old man who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the left wrist. The victim is expected to make a full recovery. Detectives say the man was shot during an attempted robbery while the victim was waiting for takeout at North Fulton and West North avenues.
Acting Baltimore Police Chief Michael Harrison said Thursday was a "it's a very violent day."
Harris said that the department is working to track down suspects.
"What we know right now is that there's no information to support that they are related, so we're working to find out motives, were working to find out clues," he said.
Harrison, who has been on the job less than two weeks, called the violence "unacceptable" and said the police department needs the community's help to stop the violence.
Homicide detectives are asking anyone with information to contact them at 410-396-2100 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7lockup.
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