The Baltimore Police Department’s failure to respond appropriately to a crowd at an annual block party was one of several mistakes that contributed to what is thought to be the largest single shooting in the city’s history, according to a report released Wednesday by the mayor’s office.
The 173-page after-action report — ordered by Mayor Brandon Scott (D) and compiled by the city’s police and fire departments, its Office of Emergency Management, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, and the Housing Authority of Baltimore — details failures by Baltimore officials before and after the shooting that left two dead and 28 others injured in July.
According to a timeline included in the report, high-ranking police supervisors showed an “indifference” to the swelling crowd, choosing not to intervene or bring in additional units. The report also found there were breakdowns in the city’s systems and processes, including a lack of preparation for the event and inadequate communication as the event unfolded. The timeline also shows that Safe Streets staff, which includes violence interrupters who work in high-crime areas throughout the city, mediated five conflicts, one as late as 10:30 p.m., but had left the event before the shooting began after 12:30 a.m.
“This mass shooting is one of the most painful chapters in our city’s history, which has had more than its fair share of painful chapters,” Scott said Wednesday at a news conference. “The only way we can heal the trauma is to begin by focusing on accountability. Accountability for those who committed the crime; accountability for the police or anyone who showed indifference; accountability for a city government that made missteps; and taking action to ensure that this never happens again in our city.”
The shooting renewed focus on the need to quell youth violence and to address the proliferation of guns. The victims ranged in age from 13 to 32, with 15 of them younger than 17. The two who died were Kylis Fagbemi, 20, and Aaliyah Gonzalez, 18.
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This month, police announced an arrest in the shooting, charging an 18-year-old with seven counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, seven counts of attempted first-degree murder and 41 other related charges. Shortly after the shooting, police also arrested a 17-year-old described as a “juvenile person of interest.” The juvenile faces weapons charges but was not charged with murder.
The report, which comes nearly two months after the incident, is another black eye for the police department, which has been under a federal consent decree and has a long history of corruption, scandals and strained relationships with the community.
The report largely focuses on the action and inaction of Baltimore police.
The department reported that a sergeant and lieutenant “gave little consideration on the potential public safety concerns of having a crowd size of 800 to 900 people without sufficient police presence. These members failed to share the information about the large gatherings for Brooklyn Day in a timely manner.”
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A transmission came over at 10:30 p.m. that the crowd was about 800 people, according to the report. About 30 minutes later, a request is made for anyone to work voluntary overtime. At 11:25 p.m., a caller at Brooklyn Homes seeks help dealing with someone who is combative and says there were gunshots in the distance, and seeks help with the large crowd.
At 12:11 a.m., police command sent a message to “monitor only don’t get drawn in and become a target.”
Acting Police Commissioner Richard J. Worley Jr. said Wednesday that several members of the force are subjects of an internal investigation into their roles. He also said a new major has been appointed for the Southern District.
“We know we made mistakes,” Worley said at the news conference. “And we will continue to fix what went wrong. … BPD will and can do better.”
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Among the missteps, Worley said, was that the duty officer didn’t get information about the crowd until 20 minutes before the shooting, “and even then additional resources were not asked for.”
“We could have asked for resources,” he said. “We could have done so many things differently that could have helped, with a different outcome, but we didn’t. And those who didn’t do that will be held accountable.”
Worley also noted that there were some heroic actions from officers following the incident.
The city’s recommendations include improvements to its permitting process for pop-up events and better communication among agencies about events that are permitted and those that are not. The city also plans to explore state legislation around its Safe Streets program and home detention and monitoring, given that one of the alleged shooters was on home detention.
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State lawmakers who represent the Brooklyn neighborhood commended the city for the review and the recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“It’s clear from these reports that the extent of violence could have been prevented, or at least mitigated, with appropriate coordination and engagement,” members of the 46th District said in a joint statement. They include Senate President Bill Ferguson and Dels. Luke Clippinger, Robbyn Lewis and Mark Edelson, all Democrats representing Baltimore City.
“Our work must continue to focus urgently on reducing youth violence and reducing access to firearms for those who seek to do harm in our communities,” they said. “We must hold those who break the law accountable, and we must ensure accountability in government.”
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