2 Teenaged Best Friends Fatally Shot; 1 Family Speaks Out
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—City police are pleading with the public for help solving the weekend murders of two teenage best friends in West Baltimore.
Derek Valcourt spoke to the family of one of the victims and has more on the search for suspects.
Police are chasing a down a few leads, trying to solve the murder of a boy who just weeks ago helped out one of their own.
In the West Hills neighborhood of Baltimore, police patrolling heavily -- just days after someone shot and killed two 15-year-old boys, best friends Anthony Tarbert and Dominic Perry.
"Real good kid, man. It's sad. It hurt me cause I watched him grow up. To hear about it it's killing me, man," said Al Jackson, neighbor.
The news is also devastating for Tarbert's parents who heard the gunshots.
"We had a hundred friends out here and he was the only one that was missing so right away we were like something's wrong," said Richard Tarbert, victim's father.
Though police found Perry's body right away, Richard Tarbert searched for six hours before finding his son lying in a neighbor's backyard.
Friends believe he passed out from blood loss while trying to run home.
The case also has special meaning for city police. That's because two weeks ago when an officer was shot at in this very same neighborhood it was Anthony Tarbert who stood by that officer's side until help could arrive. He even spoke to WJZ about what happened that day.
"He was on the ground giving out. There wasn't nobody talking to him. He was by himself," Anthony Tarbert said on July 21.
Police are looking into whether a dispute at a nearby convenience store may be linked to the two teens' murders.
But so far they have no motives and no suspects.
"We're working very hard to try to determine who did this and why they did this," said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, Baltimore City Police.
As a make-shift memorial to the boys grows, Tarbert's heartbroken uncle pleads for justice.
"I'm going to miss him," he said. "He died for no reason. If anybody in this community has any information, please come forward. Please."
Friends and family are planning a vigil on behalf of the two boys Thursday at 8 p.m. near the crime scene.
The family of Perry declined to speak with WJZ.
