10 Shot, Two Fatally, In First Two Days Of Baltimore's First Ceasefire Weekend Of 2020
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- After one of the deadliest years in Baltimore's history, community members gathered Saturday for the first ceasefire weekend of the year, calling for an end to the bloodshed.
Demonstrators held signs reading "Nobody Kill Anybody" while standing near the intersection of York Road and 43rd Street in north Baltimore Saturday morning.
The city-wide initiative held four times each year takes aim at violence with the goal of reducing the number of murders in Baltimore.
"I have three children, and I'm extremely concerned about their safety about the safety of other people's children, about the safety of myself, my wife, your own safety," said Damon Gibson. "This is getting out of hand."
Those who gathered on York Road on a brisk Saturday morning said they believe their efforts will have an impact.
"Doing something so simple does make a difference," Jolisse Gray said.
Saturday's event was organized by Sister Ilaria Vurnritosi.
"At a certain point, I realized we were becoming numb in front of this violence," she said. "It was like 'Oh yeah, a block from here they killed someone.' It was just numbers, they were not people."
So she started spreading the word, bringing people of all ages and all backgrounds together.
"We all believe that all life is very important, that all life has its own dignity," she said.
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Despite the group's efforts, police-reported 10 people have been shot since Friday evening. Two of the victims have died.
Two people were shot in the 1700 block of North Carey Street around 7:45 p.m. Saturday, police said. They suffered gunshot wounds to the upper and lower body, but are expected to survive.
A 36-year-old man was shot in the arm and the leg around 7:30 p.m. in the 5100 block of Arbutus Avenue, police said. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition.
Saturday afternoon, a 35-year-old man was injured after being shot in the knee in a shooting in the 2100 block of Vine Street in west Baltimore, police said.
Overnight, two men were reportedly shot in the 2500 block of East Chase Street and a 33-year-old woman was shot in the stomach in the 1200 block of Hollins Street.
Friday evening, a 41-year-old man found shot inside his vehicle in west Baltimore and a man shot in southeast Baltimore died from their injuries, police said. A 23-year-old woman was also injured in the southeast Baltimore shooting.
**This story has been corrected to say that ten people were shot since Friday evening into Saturday night. A previous version of this article listed nine.**
