A 12-year-old girl was killed and four adults were wounded after an apparent argument over a parking spot erupted into gunfire at a Baltimore park packed with families for a youth football event, authorities said.
The shooting broke out around 6:15 p.m. Saturday at Leon Day Park in the 1200 block of North Franklintown Road, where the Charm City Buccaneers youth football league was holding its homecoming festivities.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said investigators believe two adult men became involved in a dispute, apparently over a parking space, before both allegedly pulled guns and opened fire.
The 12-year-old girl was caught in the crossfire.
Police officers responding to multiple reports of gunfire found the girl and a 25-year-old woman suffering from gunshot wounds. Both were rushed to hospitals, but doctors were unable to save the child.
The woman survived.
Two other victims, men ages 23 and 28, later arrived separately at area hospitals seeking treatment for gunshot wounds.
Police initially reported that three adults had been wounded. Authorities later learned that a fourth adult victim, a 35-year-old woman, had gone to a hospital around 10 p.m. with a graze wound to her back.
All four surviving adults were reported in stable condition.
Worley said investigators were searching for at least two male suspects and were following multiple leads.
“What we know is that there was some type of argument between two cowards, and, of course, they both opened fire on each other,” Worley told reporters at the scene.
The commissioner said the girl was apparently near the football field when she was struck.
Investigators were still working to determine exactly how many shots were fired and reconstruct the moments leading up to the shooting.
The violence was especially jarring because the park had been filled with children and families attending the youth football league’s homecoming celebration.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott condemned the suspected shooters and said a disagreement between adults had now cost a child her life.
“Two grown men got into an argument, and now a 12-year-old is gone,” Scott said.
The mayor called the shooting one of the most disturbing incidents he had encountered and said the girl’s family, classmates and community would be forced to live with the consequences of what happened.
“We’re never gonna see her full potential,” Scott said.
Police have not publicly identified the girl.
Authorities also have not announced any arrests or released the identities of the suspected gunmen.
Homicide detectives have taken over the investigation as officers continue collecting evidence and interviewing potential witnesses.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the shooting, recorded video or has other information that could help identify the shooters to contact Baltimore homicide detectives at 410-396-2100. Anonymous information can also be provided through Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Leave a Reply