Violent crime weekend shakes up Baltimore

It may be hard for anyone to read the newspaper or watch the television news in Baltimore and not come to the conclusion that there is a significant amount of violent crime in Baltimore. Some feel that the media tends to report bad news rather than good news, but even so, the events of last weekend might give one pause.

Several incidents occurred recently that are technically unrelated, although they easily could be. It was recently reported that last weekend was a particularly violent one with four shooting deaths and eight shootings in Baltimore City. It was also reported that two Baltimore police officers were charged with assault during a drug arrest.

The gun-related incidents in Baltimore and surrounding area include the following:

• A 41-year-old man struck and killed by a squad car responding to reports of a shooting.
• An 18-year-old was fatally shot in the Harwood neighborhood.
• A student at Harbor City High School was shot in the head in what may have been a domestic violence incident.
• A man fired shots into a crowd outside Club Mirage near the Hippodrome and wounded two.
• A 19-year-old man was shot multiple times in Patterson Park.
• Two men in Anne Arundel County were charged with a shooting that killed one individual in Pasadena.
• Two individuals were charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting a 21-year-old on Outing Avenue.
• A 20-year-old mixed martial arts fighter was shot and taken to the hospital.

When tensions run high, it is even more important to keep in mind that every individual who is charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty — even the police officers charged with assault.

Source: The Baltimore Sun, “Shooting outside Club Mirage extends violent weekend in Baltimore,” Justin Fenton, Oct. 15, 2012

Source: The Baltimore Sun, “Two Baltimore officers charged with assaulting drug suspect,” Justin Fenton, Oct. 18, 2012

• At our Baltimore law firm we represent individuals who have been charged with violent crimes including murder and assault such as the crimes described in this posting.