In yet another mass shooting in the United States, two people were killed and 28 were injured in a mass shooting in Baltimore. The incident occurred early Sunday morning at a block party in the 800 block of Gretna Avenue in South Baltimore, according to Baltimore Police.
We’re told hundreds were gathering in the area for an annual celebration called “Brooklyn Day.”
— Rebecca Pryor (@RebeccaPryorTV) July 2, 2023
During a press conference held at the spot, Baltimore Police Department Acting Commissioner Richard Worley confirmed the number of dead and injured saying that 30 people were shot with 28 injured and 2 dead. The person who carried out the mass shooting is yet to be arrested.
Both of the people killed were adults. An 18-year-old girl was killed in the shooting that took place at around 12:35 AM. While a 20-year-old man was pronounced dead after being rushed to a local hospital. Three of the victims are critically injured.
Nine people were transported from the scene to local hospitals, while 20 others affected walked into hospitals in the area, police said. Medstar Harbor Hospital’s emergency department treated 19 patients on Sunday morning, all suffering varying degrees of injury from gunshot wounds after the incident. The hospital said that nine critically injured patients were stabilized and transferred to Baltimore trauma centres.
According to Baltimore Police Acting Commissioner Richard Worley, officers responded to multiple calls after 12:30 a.m. and discovered one woman dead and nine others with gunshot wounds. Hundreds of people were gathered in the area for an event called “Brooklyn Day.”
Witnesses said that they heard 20 to 30 shots. The crime scene was spread over multiple blocks, littered with debris, and authorities said that it will take some time for detectives to work it.
At this time, there is no information on suspects or a motive, but investigators are “working an extensive crime scene,” according to Worley. The incident, according to Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, was a “reckless, cowardly act that happened here and that has permanently altered many lives and cost two people their lives.”
According to him, the tragedy “highlights the impacts and the need to deal with the overproliferation of illegal guns on our streets, as well as the ability for those who should not have them to get their hands on them.”
It is pertinent to note that in recent times, the United States has witnessed a dramatic surge in mass shooting incidents. On June 18, at least 29 people were shot in Willowbrook, Illinois, near Chicago.
Earlier in June, a mass shooting in San Francisco left nine injured in a “targeted and isolated incident” as stated by the police. The shooting took place at around 9 pm during a party hosted by a clothing store Dying Breed near the intersection of 24th Street and Treat Avenue in the Mission district.