Residents frustrated by violence after another shooting at SW Baltimore shopping center
BALTIMORE -- Southwest Baltimore residents are frustrated by the violence that continues in their community.
Baltimore Police are still searching for a suspect from Tuesday's mid-day shooting in the Giant grocery store parking lot at the Edmondson Village Shopping Center. A 20-year-old man is expected to survive after he was shot several times.
"As we're about to make a turn we heard gunshots," said Harold Diggs, President of Young Successful Leaders. "DIdn't know where it was from."
Diggs told WJZ he had just left the store before the shooting.
"All you can do is [is duck], cause you're at the light waiting, Digg said. "So, you don't know."
This shooting hits close to home for Diggs.
He runs a nonprofit that works with the city's youth out of the Edmondson Village Shopping Center, which is next door to the Giant.
Edmondson Village Shopping Center is where five high school students were shot in January 2023. One of them, Deanta Dorsey, 16, was killed.
The shooting stunned the community.
"I have a 15-year-old son," said Windsor Mill resident Nicole Gaskins. "He used to hang around here, but I stopped him from hanging around here because so much been going on."
The shopping center is known for having issues, but plans to renovate it are underway.
However, community members say it will take a lot more than that to stop the recurring violence in this area.
"I think if some parents grasp and get a hold of their children, then a lot of this stuff could stop happening, but it takes a community to do it," Gaskins said.
Diggs and other community organization leaders say they are coming together this week to launch a violence reduction strategy for the area.
"We're just looking forward to trying to stop all of the shootings, trying to stop all of the violence," Diggs said.
Giant Food sent WJZ this statement:
"With deep sadness, we can confirm a tragic incident occurred in the parking lot of our store at 4624 Edmondson Avenue Baltimore, MD on March 12. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation, and the safety and well-being of our customers and associates continue to be our top priorities."
Anyone with information on this shooting should call police at 410-396-2488 or the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
