Baltimore Police set up mobile command station in Fells Point after overnight shooting leaves 5 injured
Five people were injured early Saturday morning in a shooting in the Fells Point neighborhood. The Baltimore Police Department has set up a mobile command center in the heart of
Five people were injured early Saturday morning in a shooting in the Fells Point neighborhood. The Baltimore Police Department has set up a mobile command center in the heart of that neighborhood to avoid a similar occurrence.
Moments later, police officers said they were sent to area hospitals to investigate a report of a 28-year-old man and a 21-year-old man seeking treatment. Investigators said they believe the two men were also shot during the Broadway Street incident.
In a statement released Saturday afternoon, Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young encouraged residents to avoid large gatherings and follow social distancing guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic. He was directing city agencies and the Baltimore City Police Department to promote the same practices.
“I am frustrated and concerned by residents failing to heed our continued warnings about the need to practice social distancing and avoid large gatherings in order to keep reducing the spread of COVID-19,” Young said in the statement. “The gatherings we are seeing — with people in close contact, with crowds of people in small spaces — could increase the spread of COVID-19. We have seen tremendous progress on bending the curve, and to see people engaging in risky behaviors at this point is incredibly disappointing — it has to stop.”
Baltimore City Councilman Zeke Cohen was with liquor board inspectors in Fells Point during the time of the shooting, attempting to oversee “what was supposed to be the plan to have the square closed at 11 p.m.”
Lately, Cohen said large crowds have gathered to drink alcohol at Broadway Square in the 800 blocks of S. Broadway St., causing a public nuisance by urinating and defecating throughout the neighborhood.
“It’s a health and safety risk,” Cohen said. “I heard a number of shots and turned around to see just a very chaotic scene.”
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Cohen made a post on Saturday about the shooting on his campaign Facebook page, stating he was shaken, but unharmed.
Cohen has spoken with Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, acting city solicitor Dana Moore and Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young about the incident, he said Saturday morning.
“I share the frustrations of many in our community and local leaders over the shooting in Fells Point last night,” Harrison said in a statement. “What we saw was a gunman who had no regard for human life and fired indiscriminately on a crowd of young people. The Police Department will continue to work with other City agencies, community members, and our law enforcement partners to address gatherings of crowds throughout the city.”
“We are still in a global pandemic,” he said in the post. “Large crowds are a major problem. For weeks we’ve been saying this would happen with crowds gathering drinking and driving. This cannot continue.”
Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa said in a statement that “residents should continue to be extra vigilant” of the virus.
“When my team and I review the data on COVID-19 trends to provide advice and guidance on moving to different phases of reopening, we are taking into consideration how often and how many large groups of people are gathering, and what that might do to increase the transmission of the disease,” Dzirasa said. “Residents should continue to be extra vigilant and practice social distancing as they start leaving their homes and interacting with others more frequently. Doing so will reduce the likelihood of transmission of the disease and will enable us to continue our gradual reopening.”
Cohen said he is coordinating with state delegates to work with all relevant city and state agencies on addressing the problem of crowds in Fells Point.
Anyone with information about Saturday’s shooting is asked to contact detectives at 410-396-2422 or leave an anonymous tip with Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCK-UP.
