'We Cannot Accept This': Teens Shot In Baltimore Thursday Still In Hospital, One In Grave Condition; Police Following Leads
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The two teens shot in Baltimore on Thursday remain in the hospital Friday afternoon as detectives continue to follow leads in the cases.
City police said the 15-year-old shot on Chalgrove Avenue Thursday evening is in grave condition. He was injured in a shooting that stemmed from an argument.
The 17-year-old boy shot in south Baltimore Thursday afternoon is in critical but stable condition. Police said they are still investigating a motive.
Five children between the ages of 10 and 17 have been shot in the city in the past week.
On Tuesday afternoon, a 17-year-old boy was shot in the 1600 block of Mount Royal Avenue in what police believe to be a targeted shooting. On Monday evening, a 12-year-old boy was injured in a shooting in northeast Baltimore, and a 10-year-old girl was among three people injured in a shooting Saturday when an argument broke out between two groups of people.
During a news conference Friday, Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said the levels of gun violence involving children are "angering."
Detectives continue to investigate all five and have some "very promising" leads, he said.
Three of the shootings were targeted, Harrison said, urging people who may have information in the cases to come forward.
"All of these incidents speak to the perpetuating culture of violence in our city, to include the easy access of guns by criminals and their desire and willingness to use these guns to solve conflicts," he said.
Commissioner says three of the recent young victims were targeted; criticized easy access to guns by criminals; he asks for witnesses to come forward. @wjz
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) March 5, 2021
Mayor Brandon Scott urged everyone in the community to step up to help the city's youth, including by serving as mentors.
"We cannot accept this. These are babies, and we have to understand that these are children," Scott said. "No matter what was said or what was done, they're children, and children have to be treated differently than adults, especially when you're talking about the life or shooting or harming a young person."
Watch Below: Mayor Scott's Full News Conference:
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