3 men arrested after murder of 15-year-old boy in East Baltimore
Three men were arrested for the murder of a 15-year-old in East Baltimore, according to police.
Rodsheead Alexander, 34, Zion Wimbish, 19, and Ra'Shawn Smith, 19, were all charged with the first-degree murder of 15-year-old John Lewis.
Following the shooting, two people were taken into custody for questioning, and on Thursday, three people were arrested, police said.
On Wednesday evening, around 6:13 p.m., officers located a 19-year-old with a gunshot wound to the leg in the 3500 block of Brehms Lane. Police then stopped a vehicle at the intersection of Mannasota and Brendan Avenues, where Lewis was injured from gunshot wounds.
They were both taken to the hospital, where Lewis died, according to police.
Smith was the 19-year-old injured in the shooting and was taken to a hospital before being brought to Central Booking, where he was charged.
Anyone with additional information on the shooting should call police at 410-396-2100 or the Metro Crime Stoppers tipline at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
Violence, youth included in proposed budget
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on Tuesday addressed the city's proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget, while facing an $85 million shortfall.
The mayor said his primary goals are to tackle crime and vacant housing, and invest in Baltimore's youth.
Mayor Scott's spending plan includes $624.8 million for youth initiatives, including $6.9 million to expand the YouthWorks summer jobs program to 8,500 participants at $15 per hour and funding for two new recreation centers.
Public safety would receive $1.2 billion, with full funding for the citywide expansion of the Group Violence Reduction Strategy and continued efforts to transition administrative police tasks to civilian roles. The budget would also allocate $1.1 billion for neighborhood services and $36.7 million from the Opioid Restitution Fund to combat the opioid epidemic.
Scott's plan also includes $346.4 million for neighborhood development, featuring an additional $1.5 million for the mayor's $3 billion vacant housing initiative.
The budget moves to the City Council for review before the start of the fiscal year on July 1.
Teen gun violence in Baltimore
On April 26, two teenagers were injured in a shooting in Southwest Baltimore.
A 17-year-old boy was found shot inside a home on Allendale Street. A 17-year-old girl arrived at a hospital with gunshot wounds.
During his State of the City speech on April 21, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said non-fatal shootings were down 28% compared to 2024.
According to WJZ's Gun Violence Tracker, 389 children and teens were victims of gun violence in Baltimore City in 2024. That is a 22% decrease from 499 cases in 2023.
The Gun Violence Tracker shows that within the past 12 months, 35 teens between the ages of 14 and 17 in Baltimore were injured in shootings, while six of them died.
Overall, within the past 12 months, seven teens died of gun violence in Baltimore.
Teen summer violence initiative
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott recently shared details for the city's 2025 Summer Youth Engagement strategy, which aims to deter violence.
The 25-week initiative will provide teens and young adults with sports, entertainment and education-based activities during the summer.
The mayor has credited the 2024 youth engagement effort with a 66% drop in the number of shooting victims and a 31% drop in cases of aggravated assault.
"Despite the progress we've made around public safety, I have been clear that we need to double down on our efforts, including to support and uplift our young people," Scott said.
