Man Gunned Down Near NE Baltimore Shopping Plaza
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—The number of people killed in the city keeps rising.
In Northeast Baltimore police are seeing a record number of homicides.
For the 4th time this year, a person has been murdered in the same block on Frankford Ave.
WJZ's Investigator Mike Hellgren spoke to the victim's friend who says it's time to speak up.
WJZ spoke to Tommy Harris minutes after he found out he'd lost his best friend, 34-year-old Glenn Keller Jr., who was shot dead at Frankford Plaza Wednesday night.
Harris said Glenn was a true friend and a lot of "good people were in his corner."
"People are scared to speak up because they fear the consequences," he says.
Harris wants people to know his buddy is more than just number.
In a year when Baltimore has seen more than 335 killings--the highest in history per captia.
"A lot of us young dudes, we have good friends that mean well, but as they talk, they're walking down a destructive path," said Harris.
Within a block from where Keller was shot near Frankford and Sinclair there have been four murders this year, including a woman killed in an arson.
"Yes, I am concerned about my own safety, but you've just got to learn to deal with it around here," said Bernard Flanagan, who lives one block away.
Signs posted all around the shopping center warn of surveillance cameras in use. It is unclear whether any of them caught this murder.
"One of the things investigators will look at in this type of case is any other violence or any other trends in that area," said Baltimore Police Det. Jeremy Silbert.
Tommy Harris believes it's not too late for change.
"We've got elders who don't want to talk to the youth anymore because they believe they're talking on deaf ears, and that's not the case," he says. "We need the elders to stop giving up on us."
Police say they have not yet recovered the weapon to kill Glenn Keller Jr.
Anyone with any information is asked to call police.