Latest Baltimore shooting brings city's 2015 homicide total to 154
Two unidentified gunmen fired into a group of people near the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus late last night, just five days after another shooting on the same block.
In this image taken from video, police investigate the scene of a shooting, Tuesday, near the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus.
WMAR/AP
Three people were killed and one wounded after two unidentified gunmen opened fire into a group of people near the University of Maryland campus in Baltimore late Tuesday night.
Police said in a statement early Wednesday that the shooting occurred on a residential neighborhood street around 11 p.m. on Tuesday. The two gunmen reportedly arrived at the scene in separate, light-colored vans.
One man was pronounced dead at the scene and another man and woman died while receiving medical treatment. A fourth woman walked into a hospital with a gunshot wound and is listed as being in stable condition, police say.
No students appear to be involved, according to a university spokesman.
This is the second shooting to occur in that neighborhood this week. Five days ago, shots were fired into a vehicle traveling on the same block, injuring a passenger, The Baltimore Sun reports.
Police are urging people in the area to exercise caution while the gunmen are still at large.
Baltimore has cut its homicides in half since the 1990s, but the city’s murder rate in May was the highest it had been in over 40 years. So far this year, 154 people, including these three latest deaths, have been killed in the city, nearly double the number of homicides seen last year, according to police reports.
One unnamed Baltimore police officer suggested in a CNN interview that Baltimore’s recent increase in murders is the result of officers losing confidence in their chain of command, taking less initiative, and "refusing to follow their marching orders," following a spate of protests against police tactics.
In a June press conference, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts attributed the recent murder spike to an increase in gang violence.
“Collectively, we will return this city back to normal,” Batts said. “Together we’re here to collectively say we’re serious about this fight and we’re serious about bringing people to justice.”
This report includes material from Reuters and the Associated Press.