Baltimore Violence: Reward Doubles In Little Italy Restaurant Owner's Murder; Loved Ones Mourn Slain Army Reserve Sergeant
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Many families are left heartbroken across Baltimore as violence surges. Recent killings include a Little Italy restaurateur and a sergeant in the Army Reserve.
The father of another victim, Donald White, spoke to WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren near the makeshift memorial for his son in the 1900-block of Ramsay Street. White is one of two people killed in the same block this month in Carrollton Ridge.
He asked us not to reveal his face or his name because of safety concerns. The neighborhood has been plagued with one of the city's highest concentrations of murders. There have been 12 homicides within several blocks this year.
"People are dying every day for petty stuff," White's father said. "It's very painful. I've been through some things. I've been stabbed, I've been shot right on the streets of Baltimore."
He said he is still trying to cope with the loss of his son, "Once you pull the trigger, he's not coming back. My son—everybody loved him."
Loved ones are also mourning 25-year-old Army Reserve Sgt. Ryan Harris, who was murdered last Thursday on Redwood Street near Calvert Street just blocks from the Inner Harbor.
Maj. Gen. John Hussey, Harris' commanding officer at Fort Meade, told WJZ in a statement,
"I remember when Ryan came to my office to fix my computer. He was very respectful. I could tell that he had a solid upbringing. I admired his demeanor. He was a young man who was doing the right things, and it absolutely hurts me deeply to learn of this news. The 200th MP Command is truly diminished with Ryan's loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with Sgt. Harris's family. May his soul rest in peace."
Governor Larry Hogan announced the reward has doubled to $16,000 in the murder of Trevor White, a father and Little Italy restaurant owner killed on Father's Day.
Commissioner Michael Harrison pleaded for help to solve the cases.
"We're looking for video. We're looking for witnesses. We're looking for physical evidence. But we need more help and it can only come from members of our community," Harrison said Tuesday. He noted 28 armed robberies happened over the weekend including seven carjackings.
Baltimore is one of several major cities—Washington DC, Los Angeles and Atlanta among them—where murders are above previous year's numbers.
The commissioner praised ten handgun and three attempted murder arrests made over the weekend and called officers "highly engaged" and "proactive."
Baltimore police wrote in a statement to WJZ, "There were eight notable warrants served from June 17-19, including one aggravated assault, four assaults and one robbery. The BPD has increased its patrol presence in high-crime areas and is focusing all available resources to address violent crime trends."
Transportation Authority police are continuing to investigate a suspected homicide that happened early Sunday morning within the city limits on Interstate 95 near Caton Avenue.
City leaders' messages are not comforting to Annette, who has heard the gunshots from the recent killings on Ramsay Street in Carrollton Ridge.
"They ain't doing nothing about it. They just come on the news and talk about it," she told Hellgren.
She is losing hope and feels trapped in the neighborhood she has called home for more than 50 years.
"I don't know when somebody is shooting I might get hit," she said. "How do you expect to live like that? You can't live like that. Things are getting worse. Same old, same old."
