Mass shooting in Baltimore: One dead and seven injured on Spring Street, police say

CNN
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A gathering in East Baltimore descended into chaos on Sunday evening when several gunmen opened fire, killing one man and injuring seven others, police said.

The shooting occurred around 8 p.m. in the 1300 block of Spring Street, Baltimore Police Chief Richard Worley told reporters. No further details about the nature of the gathering or the number of suspects were released.

When police arrived, they found several victims with gunshot wounds who were taken to nearby hospitals, a police statement said. More victims later arrived at hospitals for treatment, the statement added.

A 36-year-old man was pronounced dead in a hospital, police said.

“Tonight, Baltimore is grappling with the impact of another mass shooting that has taken the life of one Baltimore resident and irreversibly changed several others,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement.

Worley said investigators tentatively believe the victims were between 22 and 45 years old, but the police statement said the oldest victim was 46. Their condition ranged from critical to stable.

Homicide detectives were on site Sunday evening, interviewing witnesses and residents and searching the “extensive” crime scene for video and ballistic evidence, the police chief said.

Several firearms were found at the scene, prompting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to offer its assistance in the investigation, Worley said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers. Scott urged anyone who may know a person involved in the shooting to encourage them to come forward.

“To those who know who was involved – even if they are your loved ones – I implore you to do the right thing and ask them to take responsibility,” Scott said.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 350 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, leaving 350 people dead and more than 1,500 injured. CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are injured or killed, not including the shooter.

“These tragic acts of violence – which continue to occur all too frequently in our city – are only possible because guns remain readily available on our streets,” Scott said. “We cannot acknowledge this tragedy without acknowledging the role that gun proliferation plays in endangering our communities.”