() — An 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man were killed and 28 others injured in a mass shooting early Sunday morning at a popular party in Baltimore, authorities said.
Nine people were transferred from the scene of the events to hospitals and 20 entered hospitals in the area on foot. Three of the injured are in critical condition, according to a police statement.
The 18-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene and the 20-year-old was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said.
The incident was yet another celebration turned deadly at the hands of an attacker. Just two days into the month, it is one of three mass shootings in July and one of 338 mass shootings that have occurred in the United States in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The scene of the mass shooting that occurred in Baltimore, early Sunday morning.
Twelve patients are being treated at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s trauma center and four are being treated in its pediatric emergency department, medical system spokesman Michael Schwartzberg said in an emailed statement. Until this Sunday afternoon, the health status of these 16 patients is unknown.
Two patients in good condition are being treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital, according to an emailed statement from hospital spokeswoman Cassidy Davis.
Meanwhile, the remaining injured people have already been released from the places where they were treated, according to a statement from Debra Schindler, regional director of Media and Public Relations for Medstar Health in Baltimore, the medical center that first received most of the injuries. of the injured before they are transferred to other hospitals or discharged.
Police received multiple calls after 12:30 am and upon arrival found a dead woman and nine other people with gunshot wounds, according to Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley.
There is currently no information on suspects or a motive, but investigators are “working on a large crime scene,” Worley said.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott described the incident as a “reckless and cowardly act that occurred here that permanently altered many lives and cost two people their lives.”
Scott said the festival was a celebration of the Brooklyn neighborhood of Baltimore, which he described as a working-class neighborhood filled with immense pride.
“It’s an event that happens in Brooklyn every year,” he told ‘s Victor Blackwell and Amara Walker. “People were there celebrating and, at one point, shots were heard and people, of course, were trying to run, to get out of there.”
Scott’s office is distributing letters offering community Services for residents of the Brooklyn Homes area, a public housing complex.
“It’s a neighborhood that has had its problems, but has also seen some people from that community really determined to see it succeed and make a difference,” he added.
Earlier, Scott said the tragedy “highlights the impact and need to address the proliferation of illegal guns on our streets and the ability of those who shouldn’t have them to get their hands on them.”
Scott and law enforcement officials urged anyone with information to come forward and help find those responsible. The mayor also said that he is mobilizing all available resources to assist in the investigation.
His message to the attacker was simple: “We won’t stop until we find you, and we will find you.”
“Until then, I hope that with every breath you take you think of the lives you took and the lives you touched here tonight.”
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said his government is in contact with local authorities and ready to assist.
“Maryland is fed up with watching gun violence continue to plague the state and nation,” Moore said in a statement. “The fact that these horrific shootings continue to take place is abhorrent. We as a state will continue to do everything we can to prevent senseless acts of violence like the one we saw last night.”
The National Rifle Association sued Moore after he signed the Gun Safety Act of 2023 and other gun safety measures in May, court documents show.
‘s Joe Sutton, Gloria Pazmino and Zenebou Sylla contributed to this article.
