Teenagers Often On Both Ends Of Rising Violent Crime In Baltimore
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It has been a deadly start to the unofficial kick-off to summer in Baltimore. Since last Friday, at least 6 people have been murdered - and police say one of the most recent victims was killed by a teenager.
According to Baltimore city police, a 16-year-old boy has been charged as an adult with first- and second-degree murder after the murder of a 34-year-old man.
Police say the shooting happened around 1:20 p.m. Wednesday at a business in the 2800 block of Edmondson Avenue. People in the area told WJZ that the business was a gas station.
The department said officers were nearby when they heard gunshots and saw the teenager with a gun, and when the teen tried to run away, police were able to catch him.
The 34-year-old victim is one of at least 141 homicides so far this year and in a troubling trend, where police say teenagers are either victims or perpetrators of a crime.
Since Saturday, four teenagers have either been shot or grazed by a bullet in Baltimore. Wednesday, police released images of two people on a scooter who they wanted to identify, after a weekend shooting near the Inner Harbor that left a 17-year-old dead.
At the corner of Edmondson Avenue and North Franklintown Road Thursday morning, police and a k9 unit were some of the only signs that someone was murdered here Wednesday.
One lady who was in the area the day after the murder said she wants for officials to do something to control the number of guns on the streets. She also expressed concern that minors are able to access guns so easily.
She also said she doesn't want to be fearful in her own neighborhood.
"I can't shut my life down because of what's going on in the world," she said. "I just come out and get some air and go back in the house. You're not even safe in your own damn house."
As of Thursday afternoon, police did not identify the 34-year-old victim because his family needs to be notified.
The teen who has been charged with murder has not been identified.
