'Heartbroken' mothers in South Baltimore demand action after unsolved killing of 12-year-old boy
BALTIMORE — Police were on patrol Tuesday in the block of Maisel Court where 12-year-old Jaylen Richards was shot multiple times and killed over the weekend by someone with an assault-style weapon.
No arrests have been made in the case.
Richards' death is the latest in a surging number of juveniles killed this year. He is one of at least four juveniles who have been shot since Saturday alone.
Family members have not returned messages for comment, and many in the neighborhood are too frightened to speak on camera.
WJZ spoke to an outraged mother in the Westport community who asked not to use her name.
"He didn't deserve to die that way, and I feel so sorry and heartbroken because it's like, 'Wow, when is it going to stop? When is it going to end?' I just feel so incomplete knowing that another child has died to endless gun violence," she said.
Mayor Brandon Scott acknowledged the growing number of young lives lost too soon at his State of the City address Monday night.
"We are leaving nothing on the table when it comes to safeguarding the lives of our young children," Mayor Scott told the crowd in Cherry Hill, not far from where Richards was gunned down just days earlier
He struck and optimistic tone that things will get better.
"Baltimore's young people will win. We just have to invest in them, nurture them, love them, and yes, we must hold them accountable," the mayor said to applause.
Scott has relied on a holistic approach and community groups as part of his violence reduction plan as Baltimore has recorded overall drops in shootings and homicides compared to last year.
WJZ recently profiled work the non-profit group Roca is doing, which includes teams reaching out to impacted families and youth after every shooting.
"The change I see is the belief in them. They don't normally have people in their corner who believe in them to do the right thing," said Roca's Jamal West of the vulnerable youth assisted by his program.
WJZ asked Maryland's new public safety secretary Carolyn Scruggs, a Baltimore native, her message to mothers in the city trying to protect their children from violence.
"Don't be discouraged. God has a plan for each and every one of us, and they are part of that plan. They have to remain positive," Secretary Scruggs said. "…When you stabilize the family situation, you stabilize the child."
Anyone with information on 12-year-old Jaylen Richards' killing can call Metro Crime Stoppers with tips at 1-866-7-Lockup.
