Mayor Brandon Scott Says It Will Be An 'All Hands On Deck Approach' To End Violence In Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- For the sixth year in a row, Baltimore will end the year with more than 300 killings.
It's been less than a week since Baltimore's new mayor, Brandon Scott, has been in office and the city has seen a violent past 24 hours.
At least five people have been killed since Wednesday night in Baltimore.
According to police, the latest victim was shot and killed Thursday afternoon along East Madison Street.
Earlier in the day, police say two other men were killed, and a woman was fatally shot.
On Wednesday night, investigators say a man died after being shot on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Donetta Johnson lives nearby. She said the violence needs to end.
"You're already confined in the house, you want to come out and get some air but the thing is, when you come out, are you safe enough?" Johnson said.
The recent killings have pushed the homicide total to at least 314 so far this year.
"We will never accept the loss of life of Baltimoreans as normal," Mayor Scott said.
Mayor Scott said under his new leadership, it's time to turn these statistics around.
"We're going to refocus the police department on enforcing strongly, strongly enforcing on those who we know of committing the violence, for the first time, getting them to target those who are trafficking weapons onto our streets," Scott said.
He added that it will be an "all hands on deck approach to ending the epidemic of violence in Baltimore."
It's something some residents feel is long overdue.
"All hands should have been on deck a long time ago," Johnson said. "Maybe things wouldn't be so out of control."
But residents are hopeful for some change.
"A hope and a prayer," Johnson said. "We just got to wait and see."
City leaders recently announced an initiative to relaunch a group violence reduction strategy which is based on a policing theory of "focused deterrence."
Mayor Scott said the group violence reduction strategy has worked in other cities like Chicago and Milwaukee and that he is hopeful once implemented in Baltimore, it could save lives.
