'My son is gone': Mother questioned security measures weeks before Patterson High student's death
BALTIMORE - The mother of 16-year-old Izaiah Carter, who was shot and killed at a park Monday in Southeast Baltimore, spoke with WJZ.
Michelle Hines said Izaiah, a student at Patterson High School, was her first-born son. Police said he was shot in the head at nearby at Joseph E. Lee Park before school was dismissed, and died at the hospital.
Hines told WJZ she had just gotten home from work training when she noticed her son didn't come home from school at his usual time.
Hines recalled getting an automated phone call from Patterson High School alerting families that a shooting happened near the campus but that everyone was safe.
After breathing a sigh of relief, just moments later, she received a personal phone call from one of Patterson's staff members, who could be heard sobbing on the phone.
Hines was told her son Izaiah had been shot and to wait for police to contact her.
"We're not waiting for the police to come to us," Hines said. "I just found out my child was shot, so I throw the phone to my boyfriend, and I said, 'Izaiah was shot,' like oh my God, I'm just freaking out and then the woman on the phone, I could hear her crying like through the phone and I'm like, 'oh my God, this is going to be bad.'"
Hines said she predicted Izaiah's death after what she described as a mediation meeting held at Patterson in January of 2023 following an alleged brawl in the school cafeteria involving 23 students, including her son.
"There was another mom there, but I already knew they kind of put her in a bubble, stereotypical nonsense because she had thick lashes, she had a vernacular that was like Baltimore City," Hines said. "But they were listening to what she was saying, her major concern was, my kid can't not get on the bus safely. He can not get off the bus safely. So what are you guys going to do to keep him safe?"
When administrators were talking to parents about their plan to keep students safe, Hines' questioned the sincerity of school officials to truly keep her son and others safe after the incident.
Hines shared her outrage to school officials, who in Monday's press conference, following the shooting, talked about measures that are already in place to keep students safe.
"Oh, well it didn't happen on the campus. I don't give a (expletive) where it happened. It happened, my son is gone. He was supposed to be in school," Hines said.
Hines referenced the comments from Baltimore City Public Schools CEO, Dr. Sonja Santelises, who answered a question regarding those safety measures, saying "well we can't be everywhere," Hines angrily responded by saying, "well you know what, we can't either, I'm a f***ing mother and I try to be everywhere."
With all of the violence within the Baltimore City Public Schools, Hines told WJZ she was prepared to take her son out of the district schools altogether.
Then, she learned of her own son had become a victim.
"It feels unreal to lose someone who was so young and had an impact on so many people he met during such a brief period of time," Hines said.
As funeral arrangements continue to be planned for Carter, Hines said she is using her grief, anger and outrage to get justice for her son.
She said she wants changes made to how Baltimore City Schools protects its students and an apology to her family for what happened.
Izaiah was the sixth Baltimore City Public School student to be murdered by gun violence in 2023.
The Baltimore City Police is still investigating the incident and piecing together a motive.
There is an $8,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Call Metro CrimeStoppers anonymously or reach out to City Police.
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