Baltimore Police continue search for person who killed 12-year-old boy
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore police are continuing to search for whoever shot and killed a 12-year-old boy in South Baltimore on Saturday night.
Investigators believe the boy was shot with some type of assault rifle in the 2400 block of Maisel Court.
WJZ's Jessica Albert spoke with the boy's brother. He didn't want to be interviewed on camera, but he wanted people to know that his brother was a good kid.
Police have not made public the child's name.
Neighborhood residents said they heard the gunshots fly through their area. There were "a lot of them," one neighbor said.
"Sounded like it was in front of my house, but it wasn't," the neighbor said. "Sounded like a big gun."
Investigators say the boy was trying to run away when the bullets struck him.
A medic took him to Shock Trauma to receive medical treatment for his injuries. That's where he was pronounced dead by medical staff, according to authorities.
Police said on Saturday night that they did not know whether the boy was the intended target of the shooter.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison told members of the press that the cruel nature of the crime was indicative of someone who could easily kill again.
"We talk about weapons that are used in war, and should only be used in war, are being used on American streets—the streets of Baltimore," he said. "It is unnecessary, and it is absolutely wrong."
Gov. Wes Moore spoke about the tragic shooting during an interview on ABC News Sunday.
He vowed to use an all-hands-on-deck approach to tackling violent crime in Maryland.
"You're not going to militarize your way out of something that is a larger challenge," Moore said. "We have to get their illegal guns off of our streets and at the same time. It's the reason why we made record investment in public education."
The 12-year-old boy is the eighth juvenile to be killed in the city this year.
The amount of gun violence taking young lives in Baltimore has neighbors concerned for their safety.
"Stay in your house at nighttime because that's what I do," a neighbor said. "I do what I've got to do and be home before dark."