Police ID Man Killed In West Baltimore Mass Shooting As Leslie Jerome Gibson
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- City Police have identified the man killed in a mass shooting in West Baltimore earlier this week as 59-year-old Leslie Jerome Gibson.
Gibson was killed when the suspects opened fire in the 2100 block of West Lexington Street on June 16 shortly before 2:30 p.m.
Five others were injured in the shooting, including a 16-year-old boy. Police found four victims suffering from gunshot wounds on the scene. Moments later, two additional victims walked into an area hospital seeking treatment for gunshot injuries.
Police said the victims include an unidentified man, a 44-year-old man, a 39-year-old man, a 33-year-old man, a 26-year-old man. The 16-year-old was shot in the forearm and is expected to survive.
Security camera footage WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren obtained shows a car running a stop sign at Pulaski and Lexington Streets just moments after six people were shot. That same footage captured the chaotic scene and the police response just moments later.
Mayor Brandon Scott, who held a crime walk Thursday night, expressed outrage over the violence.
"It pisses me off. I was out there talking with neighbors who are I also upset," Scott told WJZ. "...It's a neighborhood working with my office to develop their neighborhood policing plan."
This all comes as the city is reeling from an uptick in violence, including shootings in the popular Fells Point neighborhood. On Thursday night, two more people were killed in a shooting and a stabbing. Another person was also injured in a shooting.
Homicides are up year-to-date in the city including a fatal shooting in broad daylight outside Mondawmin Mall this week. The mayor said gun arrests are up as well.
"They are emboldened because they think they can—and because they don't fear consequences or suspect that there are none—or a combination of both," said BPD Commissioner Michael Harrison. "But there are consequences, and you've seen us now arrest a bunch of people for murder. This will be another one of those cases."
There have been 152 homicides in Baltimore City so far this year. Three hundred other victims have been shot. That's up 46 compared to last year.
This comes as members of the Safe Streets Program marched through the neighborhood calling for a change.
"It's frustrating because we're out here every day, 24/7 to reduce homicides in the city. So it's frustrating. It's upsetting," said Levar Mullen, Safe Streets Supervisor.
Scott praised the crime walks by saying it's all part of a bigger plan to stop the violence." Those walks are just one component of the strategy. Like the commish said., 'we have a 51 percent clearance rate for homicides.' We're gonna find these people. We're gonna hold them accountable," said Mayor Scott.
"We have a responsibility to the community. To engage them and let them know that there are other ways to resolve conflict," said Dante Johnson of Safe Streets.
