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Victims in Baltimore block party shooting include over a dozen minors

Victims hit by gunfire were as young as 13 years old.
Posted at 7:54 AM, Jul 03, 2023

More than a dozen of the victims in a weekend mass shooting in Baltimore were minors, while the others were mostly young adults.

The shooting happened at a block party early Sunday morning. A total of 30 people were shot; two of them died and 28 were wounded. 

The deceased include 18-year-old Aaliyah Gonzales, who was pronounced dead at the scene, and 20-year-old Kylis Fagbemi, who died at a hospital shortly after the incident. 

The Baltimore Police Department said the non-fatal victims include two 13-year-olds, one 14-year-old, three 15-year-olds, five 16-year-olds, four 17-year-olds, five 18-year-olds, three 19-year-olds, one 20-year-old, one 22-year-old, one 23-year-old, one 31-year-old and one 32-year-old. 

Nine of the victims remain hospitalized.

A police officer stands in the area of a mass shooting incident in Baltimore, Maryland.

2 dead, 28 injured in mass shooting at Baltimore block party

The deceased victims were ages 18 and 20. Of the injured, three remain in critical condition.

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Lakell Nelson, who attended the block party, said earlier in the night there were several false alarms of people mistaking the sounds of fireworks for gunshots, according to the Associated Press. But she said the shooting started as she was getting in her car. 

"The shots were just going on and on and on," she told AP.

Two women approached Nelson saying they were shot, so she drove them to the nearest hospital. 

Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley called the investigation into the shooting extensive. An arrest has not yet been made but officers are urging anyone with information to reach out. 

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spoke out about the incident on Sunday afternoon.

"Maryland has had enough of watching gun violence continue to ravage our state and our nation," he said. "The fact that these horrific shootings continue to take place is abominable. We as a state will continue to do everything we can to prevent senseless acts of violence like the one we saw last night." 

Worley said police had not been aware of the block party, and that organizers had not received a permit.

The shooting comes amid celebrations across the country in the lead-up to Independence Day. In Kansas, a shooting at a nightclub on Sunday left seven people with gunshot wounds and two others hospitalized who were trampled. In Oklahoma, a dispute turned into a gun battle outside a concert, resulting in three injuries, including one critical injury.

Police tape cordons off the area of a mass shooting.

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