Family of Baltimore teenager shot and killed inside car pleads for justice

BALTIMORE - The family of an 18-year-old murdered in his car near downtown Baltimore early Thursday is calling for justice.

Aaron was shot and killed inside of his car in West Biddle Street. Family members declined to give his last name.

WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren spoke to Aaron's uncle Willard who wants justice in the case. 

"Mainly, we want to find out who did this and why. He's got a big family here who loved him. We're going to miss him dearly," he said. 

Asked what he wants people to know about his nephew, the victim's uncle told us, "He was funny. He always had a smile to make you laugh, and when he left your presence, he always said I love you."

It was one of two brutal shootings within a mile and an hour and a half apart.

Neighbors are rattled. 

The shooting happened just outside Mariah's window. 

"We heard a lot of gunshots. There must have been seven or more gunshots," she said. "Then, we heard another woman screaming and in distress. I think that was the scariest part that there was another person with them who survived.

Officers were nearby when it happened. 

"…When I heard it, they were actually in front of me—and they almost hit me and they swerved around me," one officer said on a dispatch recording, referring to the suspect's vehicle fleeing the scene.  

An hour and a half before the teenager was shot, a man was shot in the face and collapsed on Madison Avenue near North Avenue. 

An officer can be heard on a police dispatch recording of that incident saying, "We have one witness on scene. …She's at the Crown gas station. She heard one pop, ran over and found him lying face down in front of the church."

Blood still stained the steps of the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Thursday afternoon. 

The shooting happened just steps from Carlos Strawder's bedroom window.

"If you have an issue with somebody, I think you should sit down and talk to them," Strawder told Hellgren. "You don't have to get a gun and kill somebody. Once you pull that trigger, you only get one life."

WJZ also spoke to 18-year-old Clay who said she fears just going outside.

"What I've got to say to the mayor and commissioner is I don't think you're doing so good.  If that was the case, no one would keep dying out here," the teenager said. "It's not getting any better. It's going to keep getting worse."

The city has already recorded at least seven homicides and 15 shootings where the victim survived. 

That compares to 12 homicides and 12 non-fatal shootings at this time in 2022.

If you know anything about these recent crimes, you're asked to call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-Lockup. You can remain anonymous with your tips.