Baltimore police arrested a 17-year-old in connection to a mass shooting that killed two and injured 28 at a neighborhood block party last week.
The suspect, who was not named, is being charged with possession of a firearm by a minor, assault weapon possession, reckless danger and carrying a handgun in a vehicle, police said.
Members of the BPD’s homicide and SWAT team arrested the teen early Friday morning at a home where officers executed a search warrant.
The police said that they believe the youth was “involved” in the mass shooting and describe him as a “juvenile person of interest,” but he has not been charged as a shooter.
The department said that the investigation is “open and ongoing,” and is offering up to $28,000 for information that leads to further arrests and charges.
The bloodbath unfolded just after midnight on July 2 during an annual block party in the working-class neighborhood of Brooklyn, when a duo opened fire.
Half of the shooting victims were children, and as many as 20 people managed to take themselves to local hospitals that night. Three of those shots are still in the hospital, all in fair condition, police said.
The two victims who were killed were Aaliyah Gonzales, 18, and Kylis Fagbemi, 20.
The suspect’s attorney, Michael Clinkscale, told The Baltimore Sun that his client was in fact one of the 30 shots during festivities and was treated at the hospital following the violence.
“He was running away just like everyone else and he was shot,” the lawyer told The Sun.
A video at the celebration that was shared on social media shows a person pulling an assault-style weapon out of a book bag.
Clinkscale said that police believed the arrested teen was the individual seen in the clip, and told The Sun there was “an allegation” that it was his client.
Following Friday’s arrest, Baltimore Major Brandon Scott said that bringing the perpetrators of the shooting for justice are “our number one priority.”
“Today’s arrest is a signal that with the community’s help we can get justice for Aaliyah, Kylis, and everyone who has been impacted by this tragedy – and Baltimoreans have my word that we will not rest until we do.”
The shooting was among several that unfolded ahead of the Fourth of July holiday and led President Joe Biden to repeat his demand for tighter gun control legislation.
With Post wires