Prayer Vigil Held For Health Of Baltimore Officer Keona Holley
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A prayer vigil was held outside the Shock Trauma for Baltimore police officer Keona Holley Thursday night. The mother of two is on life support after an ambush shooting early Thursday morning.
The vigil happened just hours after police announced the arrests of two men accused of carrying out the shooting.
Elliot Knox, 31, and Travon Shaw, 32, are charged with attempted murder in Officer Holley's shooting and murder in the shooting death of Justin Johnson, who was killed early Thursday in Yale Heights.
Baltimore police say they used surveillance video and license plate readers to connect them to the shooting.
"We don't know why they did this. We have absolutely confessions they did they were there, we don't have a motive as to why," said Police Commissioner Michael Harrison.
Police said after opening fire on Holley, the pair drove 11 miles away to the 600 block of Lucia Avenue and killed 27-year-old Johnson
"I heard my mom scream and I woke up in a panic," said one neighbor, Rio D.
"The first shots were like 'pop pop pop' and the second shots were 'bang bang bang.' I rolled to the floor because I wasn't sure what was happening," said neighbor, Ronda Vercammen
Vercammen says she lives a few doors down from Johnson. Her heart dropped when she found out he was killed.
"He was always very friendly he had a young daughter, little baby girl and she just loved him" she said.
Police say they recovered two guns, but with no clear motive, many are left wondering why.
"It makes me curious as to how they were connected," Vercammen said.
Both suspects have lengthy criminal histories: Knox for armed robberies in Baltimore County when he was 16 years old. Shaw was out of jail awaiting a trial next year on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Both were taken to Central Booking Friday.
"You cannot think our police officers should be a target for you. No one should be a target," Mayor Brandon Scott said.
