Baltimore Councilman addresses squabble at Southwest Baltimore shooting site
BALTIMORE -- City Councilman Kristerfer Burnett said in a statement Wednesday that he regretted getting into a war of words with a political candidate who accused him of not doing enough to quell the crime in Baltimore following a shooting that killed one student and injured four others.
"Today, in the shadow of where multiple children were shot only hours before, I was accused by a political candidate of not doing enough to solve violence in Baltimore City," he said. "By someone who neither lives in the area nor is an active member of our community. At that moment, I reacted with anger and out of sadness, knowing that, despite my efforts, there are several families tonight in Edmonson Village grieving the loss of a child and the violence that occurred today."
Burnett said he was saddened that his reactions have served as a distraction from the survivors of the shooting, the community, and families who are grieving and holding accountable those people who resorted to violence.
Burnett has represented District 8 for six years. During that time, Burnett has developed a violence response protocol within his office to support communities within 48 hours of violence occurring, he said.
"To my constituents, know that I am as committed as ever to Edmondson Village and the entire 8th District, doing all I can as your elected official to help stem the flow of violence in our community," he said. "I will continue to fight for our young people to have more opportunities; to get illegal guns off the streets, and out of the hands of those who perpetrate violence in our city."