DPW worker shot on the job in West Baltimore. Resident calls neighborhood a "war zone."
BALTIMORE - A Baltimore Department of Public Works worker was injured from a shooting Friday morning in West Baltimore.
The 42-year-old man was collecting trash in an alley near Allendale Street around 10:50 a.m. when someone started shooting.
The man was taken in the DPW vehicle to the hospital where he is stable, according to police.
A neighbor told WJZ she was cutting her grass when she heard the gunshots.
"It's more like post-traumatic stress disorder when you live in a community for so long and you see the same things over and over," said the neighbor, who didn't want to be identified. "You become less fearful, you become a strong person, you know that you can live in this war zone."
The woman called her neighborhood a "war zone" because violent crimes continue, including a shooting two weeks ago.
"This morning, a staff member with the Department of Public Works Solid Waste Bureau was shot in West Baltimore while on shift," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement. "We are deeply grateful that he is in stable condition and his injuries appear to be non-life-threatening. We are also deeply appreciative of the quick actions of both his DPW crew and our first responders, who acted with remarkable speed. Our hearts are with both the staff member's and the larger DPW team, as all of us grapple with this horrific incident."
"Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to track down those responsible and hold them accountable, and we will be providing every resource available to this worker, their family, and their team to process this incident."
Police say no arrests have been made.
The Baltimore City workers union said in a statement, "We are deeply troubled by this and are praying our union brother makes a full recovery. Everyone deserves to feel safe at work and we're keeping him in our prayers."
