Frightened neighbors heard gunshots, saw victim in street after shooting near Patterson Park
BALTIMORE -- A Thanksgiving morning shooting one block away from Patterson Park has many neighbors on edge.
Police told WJZ on Friday that detectives still have no motive or suspects.
The 23-year-old gunshot victim remains in grave condition, according to authorities.
He was shot in the head at close range in the 100 block of North Lakewood Avenue around 3 a.m. on Thursday.
"This one was so close that it really jumped me awake," one neighbor told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. "Something was off. The moment I heard it, my stomach dropped, and I was like, 'What's going on?'"
The neighbor asked that we not use her name for safety reasons. She said she saw the gunshot victim in a pool of blood near his Toyota pickup truck.
A relative came to retrieve the vehicle Friday morning.
"Every time I walk out of my door, all I can think of is where he was shot," the neighbor said.
Ring camera video shows a dark-colored SUV speeding away from the shooting site.
The neighbor said the suspects shouted profanities before fleeing.
"They shouted, 'Oh, s**t!' and kind of got in their car and sped off, and you could literally hear the tires squealing away down the street," she said. "Someone being shot and murdered right outside of my house at 3 a.m. is something that is scary because I'm a young person. I go out to the bars in Canton, and if I'm on my way home at 2 a.m., getting home at 2:30, this could happen to me."
The violence comes as Baltimore has surpassed 300 killings for the eighth straight year. The number stood at 302 as of Friday morning.
During that same time period, 642 people have been shot and survived. That is close to the 643 non-fatal shootings at this time last year.
"It's crazy. I'm scared to come out at night now," said another neighbor who also asked that we not use her name. "It's stupid. Lives matter. Everybody's lives matter. We're all human beings. We have to stop."
On Wednesday, Mayor Brandon Scott issued the following statement after Baltimore surpassed 300 homicides:
"I have long said that my main priority as Mayor is to strengthen public safety and create a Baltimore where people can walk to or from school or sit with family or friends on their front porch or in a parked car without fear of being caught in the crossfire of a hail of bullets," Scott said in his statement. "The flow of illegal guns into our city from beyond our borders continues to serve as a catalyst for violence in our streets. I remain committed to cross jurisdictional partnerships that seek to eliminate the source and supply chains that proliferate the disease of violence in our communities."
Scott said that "any homicide is one too many."
He also noted that the violence stems from problems so large that they are beyond the scope of what the Baltimore Police Department can control.
"We need stricter gun laws that keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of individuals who are reckless and irresponsible," Scott said. "We need a justice system that will hold those who commit these acts accountable and see that they serve time for what they've done. We need community members to work together to support young people and help them see there are other ways to resolve conflict other than violence."
Anyone who has information about the Lakewood Avenue shooting should call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-Lockup, which accepts anonymous tips.
