Baltimore mayor calls for night youth curfew for late spring and summer after two teens shot during large gathering
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott he intends to impose a nighttime curfew for minors in late spring and during the summer, CBS Baltimore reports.
This comes after a 14-year-old and 16-year-old were shot while police were breaking up a large fight among minors Sunday night near the city's Inner Harbor. One was hit in the leg and the other in the back, the station says, adding that one was in stable condition and the other in critical but stable condition.
Police said there were more than 200 teenagers gathered at one point.
Two were arrested after fleeing the scene, including one found with a loaded gun in the parking garage of police headquarters, police said.
Scott said a curfew for anyone 14 years old and younger would be 9 p.m. and a curfew for anyone younger than 17 would be 10 p.m.
"I want everyone to hear me, and hear me clearly," Scott said. "We are going back to the old days. We will be enforcing a youth curfew as we move into the latter spring and summer months."
Scott said there will be summer camps and programs for children this summer, but those programs haven't been announced.
"We are going to have summer camp," Mayor Scott said. "We are going to do the great things we do in recreation and parks but we are also going to put a sense of accountability on families. We want our young kids to come out to the Inner Harbor and enjoy it in a safe way."
Mayor Scott said he's seen far too many young children far away from their homes at night.
"It's not just about making sure we are getting them off the street, but making sure that we are supporting them and figuring out what's going on with them and their families," Scott said. "It is not normal for person to be that far away from their home and no one knows where they are or cares for them."
Police said they found a large gathering of teens at the Inner Harbor at night last week. No one was arrested and there were no injuries, according to police.
This year alone, five children under 18 have been fatally shot in Baltimore and another 23 have been wounded by gunfire, according to police.
On Memorial Day last year, 17-year-old Neal Mack was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting at the Inner Harbor. Police charged a 15-year-old with murder.