On July 2, 2023, a mass shooting occurred in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland during a Brooklyn Day celebration. Two people were killed and 28 were injured according to police. It is the largest shooting incident in the city's history.
Incident
The incident occurred in the Brooklyn Homes area located in the southern part of Baltimore at around 12:35 a.m. EDT. According to charging documents obtained by the media, initial gunshots from one weapon led to others in the area to begin shooting over a span of 10 minutes. The gathering was organized for an event called "Brooklyn Day", an annual event that was attended by over 700 partygoers, located at a housing development in the 800 block of Gretna Court. Multiple videos of the event appeared on social media sites such as Instagram, including one that showed partygoers evacuating after the shooting and another showing a 17-year-old man pulling a gun out of a backpack who was later arrested and charged with three counts of weapons-related violations, reckless endangerment, and two charges of inciting a riot. Police officers rushed to the scene after numerous 9-1-1 calls, where they found multiple gunshot victims. Multiple sources reported that about 20 to 30 gunshots were fired.
Residents told the media that there was no police presence at the event, which officials said was because event organizers did not give the city a three-day notice to provide resources to staff it, unlike previous years. Police radio communications from southern Baltimore indicated that the police were aware of the event, with officers asking the department's Foxtrot helicopter to fly overhead. According to city logs, the Baltimore Police Department began receiving calls about armed persons and noise complaints at 5:30 p.m. EDT. Dispatch audio indicated that police received another call around 9:45 p.m. reporting "hundreds of males and females armed with guns and knives" at the event, and more calls about fighting, loud noise, and potential shooting were received before 11 p.m., which prompted police to fly a helicopter over the event before dismissing the situation.
Safe Streets outreach workers were deployed at the event at 9 p.m. and had deescalated five fights, none of which involved weapons, but were not present during the time of the shooting due to workers' shifts ending at 11 p.m. Safe Streets workers also did not inform police of their activities as they are trained not to involve law enforcement in their interventions to maintain community credibility.
Victims
According to police reports, two people were killed and an additional 28 sustained injuries. One victim died at the scene and another at a local hospital; they were later identified as Aaliyah Gonzales and Kylis Fagbemi.
Nine victims were transported to the hospital by ambulance, while twenty victims transported themselves to area hospitals. The ages of the victims ranged from 13 to 32, with fifteen of the victims being under 18 years old. The University of Maryland Medical Center took in twelve victims at its Shock Trauma Center and four were treated at its pediatric emergency department, while MedStar Harbor Hospital treated nineteen patients.
Aftermath
Vigils were held in the Brooklyn community following the shooting. The Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (MONSE) deployed its Peace Mobile to distribute household items and resources to Brooklyn residents at the Brooklyn Homes community center and through social workers and local charities. The Baltimore Police Department had "enhanced deployment" in some areas of Baltimore during July 4 celebrations in the city, including at the Cherry Hill Festival.
Investigation
Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley has confirmed that there were "at least three" people who fired at the scene and that more than three firearms were used in the shooting, with casings from more than a dozen guns being found by investigators at the crime scene, including six fired from a rifle-caliber pistol, although it is currently unclear if every gun is tied to the mass shooting. The Baltimore Police Department offered a $28,000 reward for information on the suspects.