BALTIMORE — Three people were injured in a shooting just yards away from a planned neighborhood Safe Streets cookout in Northeast Baltimore.
Safe Streets is a neighborhood safety and engagement program through the Mayor's Office.
Officers responded around 3:45 p.m. to a shooting in the 3500 block of Belair Road.
Officers found three victims who took off to different areas for safety, according to Baltimore City Police.
Thanks to the quick action of Safe Street workers, who were setting up for the cookout, three men who were shot — two 30-year-olds and a 51-year-old — were safely taken to the hospital. They are expected to be OK.
"People went into rescue mode to help those individuals who were injured. It was a very chaotic scene, as you can imagine," Baltimore City Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said. "Our Safe Street workers responded as they always do, effortlessly and bravely."
Police are investigating a triple shooting right now near Belair and Pelham.
— Brittney Verner (@BrittneyVerner) May 5, 2022
Avoid the area if you can as their crime scene is blocking multiple streets causing traffic delays.
Watch @WMAR2News next at 5:00 to learn the latest details. pic.twitter.com/C4HeHbdWN8
Officials said the three victims were not part of the Safe Street cookout.
However, a person fired shots into a group of people and injured three.
The shooter, believed to be a male, is still on the run.
Harrison said the shooter left the scene on foot, but it is unsure whether or not he ended up leaving in a car.
"This is very brazen, very cowardly act," Harrison said. "I would imagine this person was targeting somebody, a very, very intentional act."
Harrison said it was fortunate that no one else was injured, or anyone was killed, in the shooting.
"There could have been more people hurt or killed," Harrison said. "This speaks to the senseless, cowardly, brazenness of an individual in broad daylight to open fire on anybody, much less three people indiscriminately in a crowd."
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott praised the Safe Street workers, and community members, for staying strong under gunfire.
"They signed up to do this because this is their calling, to make their city a safer place," Scott said. "They know why they are here in this neighborhood because of this neighborhood’s history of violence. They are not going to let this sway them. They are going to be more dedicated to the work. They immediately did what they do and that’s to protect people and make sure the neighborhood is safe."
Kathy Fitzgerald, who has lived in the Belair Edison community home for 35 years, says the continued violence is heartbreaking and she wishes one day it will stop.
“Hopefully, one day we will have a solution and people will put down these guns and think about other lives and what’s going on in their world," Fitzgerald said.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 410-396-2444. Those who wish to remain anonymous can utilize the Metro Crime Stoppers tip-line at 1-866-7LOCK-UP. You can also anonymously text a tip by visiting the MCS of Maryland website.
