Brooklyn residents react to mass shooting at South Baltimore block party: 'It broke my heart'
BALTIMORE - Residents say they were celebrating "Brooklyn Day," a block party held each year, while shots were fired into a large gathering.
Police believe at least two people are responsible for shooting and killing two people early Sunday and injuring 28 more on Gretna Court.
The shooting victims were between the ages of 13 and 32, and at least 14 minors were shot, police said.
Police said two 13-year-olds, a 14-year-old, three 15-year-olds, five 16-year-olds, four 17-year-olds, five 18-year-olds, a 19-year-old, a 20-year-old, a 22-year-old, a 23-year-old, a 31-year-old and a 32-year-old were wounded.
Residents told WJZ News that police are usually at the event. However, there weren't any this year.
"I have never seen anything like this in my life," resident Yvonne Booker said.
By Sunday afternoon, there were still remnants of a party that turned into a mass shooting.
Police said 18-year-old Aaliyah Gonzalez died at the scene and 20-year-old Kylis Fagbemi died at the hospital.
A resident told WJZ bullets went through his home and almost struck him.
"I was sitting in my doorway watching them dance and the next thing I know, 'pow pow pow pow pow,'" said Tony, who didn't want to use his last name. "Bullet went through my living room wall, then my bedroom wall and hit my bathroom. I could've died because the bullet missed my head in shower, about one tile."
Tony said hundreds of people were outside his house attending the community block party when several people started shooting.
"First, they was having a good time," Tony said. "After they finished having a good time, some body shot off a gun, shot at somebody, then somebody shot back and then everybody started shooting."
Tony told WJZ that Gonzales died on the front steps outside his home.
The violence has shattered the community.
"It broke my heart because it could have been us," Booker said. "I don't even know how to digest this."
Booker told WJZ she went to the block party but she left early because she was worried about her safety.
"Every year there is always some type of police activity to kind of keep the crowd at ease and make the families feel like less of a hassle, but yesterday, not one car," she said.
Police said the event was not permitted so they did not plan for officers to be there when it started.
The police commissioner and several members from the Mayor's Office have stayed in the community talking with neighbors and offering them resources.
They say they will be in this neighborhood over the next 45 days reaching out to community members.
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