BALTIMORE — A group of people living in Canton and Brewers Hill met up at Patterson Park with the goal of discussing different types of crime in the neighborhoods and learning ways to prevent crime from happening.
The community has this walk once a month, but Tuesday’s walk happened just hours after an attempted car jacking turned shooting in Brewers Hill.
“We try to highlight the most common types of crime that is happening but also the most violent types of crime that are happening. So, we just had a double shooting this morning over in Brewers Hill in Canton," says Joe Koehler.
Police say a 31-year-old man who was shot flagged them down.
Minutes later, officers found an unidentified 17-year-old boy who was also shot.
The 17-year-old is now in critical condition.
Police say the teen was trying to rob the 31-year-old man who happened to be legally carrying a gun.
This led to a shootout, leaving the teen in what is described as grave condition.
“It creates a sense of fear; people are afraid to go leave their homes and go out and just day-to-day activities and just live life, but again, as I said, you never want to see this happen anywhere in anybody's neighborhood," says Brant Fisher.
Brant Fisher says he and his neighbors want to prevent crimes like the one Tuesday morning from happening. He says he believes community walks are one way that can help.
“It's a good education point because a lot of people are not aware of what is going on in their own communities," says Fisher.
As the neighbors walked down the blocks and through the alleys, they stopped and talked about things that help stop and solve crime.
Neighbors say having outdoor video cameras and lighting up the streets can help scare off criminals.
Joe Koehler encourages people to have both.
“The City of Baltimore is able to reimburse you $150 per camera," he says.
While putting up lights and cameras can be a huge help, Fisher says it's best to get to know the people around you.
“The biggest things in terms of security and safety is neighbors banning together and supporting one another," says Brant Fisher.
Officers from the Baltimore City Police Department were also on the walk.
They say having these walks bridges the gap between neighbors and law enforcement and helps those neighbors know how to identify and report different types of crime, which can help police make arrests.
