BALTIMORE — Surveillance footage obtained by WMAR-2 News shows the moments that led up to a deadly shooting on 1:45 Saturday morning in Federal Hill. A group of about 10 people gathered in the alley off Cross Street. A fight breaks out. Someone pulls a gun and starts shooting.
You can see the victim, now identified as 24 year-old Christian Leight, running away. He was taken to University of Maryland Medical Center Shock Trauma, where he later died.
Another angle shows two police officers stationed on Cross Street around 1:45 Saturday morning, looking on as crowds enjoy nightlife in the popular Baltimore neighborhood. The video shows the officers respond as they hear the shots ring out, which sent dozens of people running in the opposite direction.
On Monday morning, candles were still lit in front of a T-shirt with Christian's photo on it, surrounded by bouquets of flowers, balloons, and messages written on the pavement.
There was a bullet hole in one of the windows at Cross Street Market, which was closed at the time of the incident.
A memorial at the spot where 24 year old Christian Leight was shot and killed over the weekend in Fed Hill. It happened around 1:45am Saturday near the Cross St. Market. There's a bullet hole in one of the market's windows. @WMAR2News
— Elizabeth Worthington (@ElizWorthNews) September 23, 2024
Baltimore Police are looking for two people… pic.twitter.com/vNNYy7TaAw
"Look, that was something very disturbing because generally, Federal Hill is a very safe area. Now what happened, we don't know; we weren't here. But it did come to me as a shock. One of the other shop owners let me know what had happened," Natasha Taramas, who owns Souvlaki a few doors down from the scene, told WMAR-2 News.
Baltimore Police are asking for your help in identifying the two men in this video. The man in the blue shirt is the one who later pulls out a gun in the surveillance footage we obtained. If you know anything about what happened, or you recognize the two people in the video, you're asked to call BPD. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
People who live and work nearby say the neighborhood often gets rowdy on the weekends, but not usually violent.
"Even on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays when the bars are open or the clubs are open, it's generally safe. But there are days where you see a lot of drinking, and it's not just drinking, it's drugs and drinking, so that has to be controlled. But the police have been controlling more lately, so that's very calming and reassuring," Taramas said.
"It's very sad. In beautiful Federal Hill, not much crime, but it's very sad when something happens like that," longtime resident Norberto Galves said. "But I love Federal Hill. My kids grow up here, my grandchildren grow up here."
In Focus: A look into crime in Federal Hill
