Baltimore Police, community search for answers from shooting of 7-year-old at Mondawmin Mall

BALTIMORE -- There's now a $4,000 reward to find three people connected to the Mondawmin Mall shooting that injured a 7-year-old girl last weekend.

It's unclear how the three people are connected, as they're not said to be suspects or persons of interest.

As the investigation into the shooting continues, community organizations are continuing their work to try and curb violence and make the area safer.

Baltimore Police said Saturday's shooting at Mondawmin Mall was the result of an altercation between two groups that escalated.

The young girl was initially reported to be in critical but stable condition. But police her condition has been upgraded to stable.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott reiterated Wednesday that whoever shot the victim will be found.

"I've talked to [the victim's] dad and plan on going to see her this week," Scott said. "But, we want to bring those individuals to justice. If it's your son, bring him in. If it's your brother, bring him in. If you know them, bring them in."

The latest bout of crime at the mall has made the Mondawmin area uneasy.

"I have had some conversations with some of the residents and they were just upset that the incident happened the way it did," said Adeline Hutchinson, president of the Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council.

The Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council, also known as GMCC, serves community associations in the area and also partners with non-profits.

One of their partners is Citywide Youth Development, which works out of the EMAGE Center on North Avenue. The organization aims to fight crime and poverty in the area.

"Growing up in neighborhoods like this, you don't really see many options as far as how to escape, how to get out," said Siddeeq Abdul-Mateen, the organization's operations director. "We just want to be able to provide hope and a different avenue toward growth and development."

Elijha Muchai, 16, has been interning with Citywide for a few months. He said it's helped him get on the right path.

"It really helped me find myself, my creativity, and use it for something to better Baltimore. Instead of using it for bad," Muchai said.

Overall, GMCC and all of its partners aim to continue connecting with youth like Muchai, to hopefully prevent the next incident -- like what happened at Mondawmin Mall on Saturday.

If you know who's in the picture, you can call Metro Crime Stoppers' 24-hour hotline at 1-866-756-2587. You can also submit tips online at metrocrimestoppers.com.

You can also call police with any information you have about the shooting.