Baltimore Teen Was Victim Of Ambush Killing, Source Says
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- WJZ is learning more information about the murder of 15-year-old Braylon Gannon who was shot multiple times in the head in a West Baltimore alleyway.
A source tells WJZ the teen's murder was captured on camera. They say he appears to be targeted while walking near the 2400 block of West Lafayette Avenue.
That source, who has seen the video, said it shows two suspects. One of them was walking Gannon before shooting him.
Then, while Gannon is on the ground, another person, who had been hiding, comes out of the shadows and shoots Gannon again.
The source says the shooting happened in the 9 p.m. hour Friday. But police did not find the teenager until 1:40 a.m. on Saturday—about four hours later.
"It's a sad thing that we have someone who would cowardly kill a young person but also a message that we have to heal," Mayor Brandon Scott said. "People are typically shot by someone who they know. They're not shot by strangers."
Brian Starks has spent his life in the West Baltimore community where the deadly shooting happened.
"It's gotten worse," he said. All you do is hear the gunshots. That's every night. At least six or seven."
Starks knows the emotional toll of violence all too well.
"I started losing my friends at 15, 14, 13," he said. "I grew up in this community, so it's nothing new to me. They don't have no outlets. They don't have no basketball courts around here and the basketball courts they do have are beat up and run down. They should have more activities for them to do, more work programs and stuff like that in order to uplift the youth."
Scott has advocated for a holistic approach to stopping the city's violence. He had an urgent plea in this case.
"If you know who shot that 15-year-old, especially if it's another young person, it's your duty to step up and say that," he said. "We have to call people out on the stuff that they're doing. We cannot be harboring folks who are harming people. My heart and prayers go out to the entire family."
There has been an outpouring of online support for Gannon. Anyone with tips can call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-Lockup, and you can remain anonymous.
