28 Injured, Two Dead in Baltimore Block Party Shooting: Police

At least 28 people were injured and two killed in a mass shooting during a block party in a south Baltimore neighborhood just after midnight Saturday, local police said. It was the largest mass shooting in the city since 2015.

At the scene, an 18-year-old woman was pronounced dead. A 20-year-old man was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Three of the victims are still in critical condition.

One woman who attended the party told The Baltimore Banner that “the crowd scattered three or four times because of fears someone had a gun” and that “the DJ would call everyone back and settle the crowd.” Another person who attended the party said there were “several false alarms” earlier in the night, when people mistook firework sounds for gunshots.

Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said detectives “are going to be here quite a while” to examine what he portrayed as “an extensive crime scene” during a press conference on Sunday.

“I want those who are responsible to hear me, and hear me very clearly,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said at the scene. “We will not stop until we find you, and we will find you. Until then, I hope that every single breath you take that you think about the lives that you took, think about the lives that you impacted here tonight.”

In a statement, Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the state “has had enough of watching gun violence continue to ravage our state and our nation” and promised to “do everything we can to prevent senseless acts of violence like the one we saw last night.”

Over 180 people were killed in shootings during the Independence Day holiday weekend of 2021, including the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, resulting in six deaths and dozens injured at a Fourth of July parade. 

”To the loved ones of these Marylanders, I am so sorry for your loss,” Moore added. “You deserve better, and we will work together to bring you just that. You have my word.”