At least 15 shot since Friday; police respond to brazen daytime West Baltimore shooting
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore's police union blasted what they called "weak and ineffective" leadership and called crime in the city "out of control."
It followed another violent weekend that saw 12 people shot, five of them killed between Friday and Sunday.
Just after 10:30 a.m. Monday, there was a large police presence shut down Edmondson Avenue for hours after two men were shot multiple times.
Police said both victims were in stable condition. A friend of one of them told WJZ he had his child with him, who was unharmed.
There were multiple evidence markers on the steps of a home.
"You get to a point where you're numb until it happens to your child or in your community, and it's sad that somebody's daughter or son was out there and they got harmed," said Stephanie, who lives near Edmondson Avenue. "It's just really sad. It's heartbreaking."
Eastand Royal, the pastor at Doswell Cathedral just steps from the shooting, told WJZ criminals do not fear consequences. "They're upset with one another and the first thing is they pull out a gun," Pastor Royal said.
Asked about his confidence in city leadership to solve the problem, Royal said: "I'm tired. They're not responding. They're just making excuses."
More violence erupted a three-minute drive away just after 1 p.m. when police said a suspected bank robber crashed an SUV into a vacant home on Prospect Street near Dukeland Street and then fled.
Police said he robbed a Wells Fargo bank on W. North Avenue.
Among the five people killed over the weekend were two teenagers shot on Argonne Drive not far from Morgan State University.
Police said they made 90 arrests from Friday through Sunday including 13 arrests for handgun violations.
Police also made an arrest in a double shooting near Canton Square. Mario Diaz, 30, is in custody and charged with two counts of attempted murder.
Investigators believe the shooting started as an argument.
"We want people to feel safe. They should feel assured that their police department is being visible and apprehending people when they do it," BPD Commissioner Michael Harrison said Monday.
