Baltimore City Shootings Drop in August, Decrease in Majority of Districts

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As fall approaches, Baltimore City is ending the summer with 53 non-fatal shootings in August—the fourth-lowest number of reported monthly shootings in 2023.

The city was last below 53 shootings in March when 46 shootings were reported, according to Baltimore Witness data.

Out of Baltimore’s nine districts, the Southwestern District was the only area to maintain seven shootings, the same number reported in July. Five of the remaining eight districts experienced decreases in shootings, while three districts saw rising numbers.

No locations were reported for seven shootings last month.

The most substantial decrease came from the Southern District, which dropped approximately 89% in large part due to the Brooklyn Homes mass shooting in July that injured 28 people and killed 20-year-old Kylis Fagbemi and 18-year-old Aaliyah Gonzalez. However, city leaders announced the arrest of 18-year-old Tristan Brian Jackson on Aug. 17 in connection to the incident.

Baltimore Witness reported four non-fatal shootings last month in the Southern District, including the shooting of a 28-year-old man on the 600 block of Cherry Hill Road on Aug. 4.

The next substantial decrease was seen in the Western District which declined from 12 shootings in July to two shootings in August. Shootings also dropped from 10 to three in the Central District, six to four in the Southeastern District, as well as eight to seven in the Eastern District.

Baltimore’s Northeastern District increased in non-fatal shootings in August, climbing from one in July to nine last month. Among them involved the shooting of a 15-year-old boy around 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 20 on the 5800 block of Leith Walk. Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officers responded to the scene and found the victim with a gunshot wound to his leg.

No arrest has been made in this matter.

While the Northern District saw six non-fatal shootings in August over July’s zero reported shootings, the Northwestern District only increased by one last month for a total of four.

July is ranked with the highest number of non-fatal shootings at 83 this year, with approximately 34% coming from the Brooklyn Homes mass shooting. February maintains the lowest number of shootings this year at 38.

Month-over-month, Baltimore City saw 26 homicides, once again, in August, including two vehicular homicides. The Northeastern District—which saw the most reported non-fatal shootings in August—also had the majority of homicides. Six homicides were reported in this district, five of which were non-police involved and one being a vehicular homicide.

BPD successfully made an arrest in the Northeastern District’s hit-and-run that killed 88-year-old Barbara Logan of Baltimore. On Aug. 14, North Carolina resident Tony Edmonds, 56, was reportedly driving a white Ford F150 when he drove through a red light and struck Logan’s vehicle at the intersection of Liberty Heights and Callaway avenues.

Edmonds was later arrested on Aug. 22.

The Western District followed close behind with five homicides as well as four homicides each in the Southwestern and Central districts. Baltimore Witness also reported three homicides in the Southern District and two homicides each in the Northern and Northwestern Districts, the latter including a vehicular homicide.

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