Gunfire in Baltimore that killed a man, injured a toddler who was shot in the face, and injured two other adults Saturday night was a “mass casualty incident,” the city’s top police leader said.
One person was detained for questioning, and police were still trying to determine if they would be designated as a suspect or victim, authorities said at a Saturday night news conference.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison described a chaotic scene in the city’s Upton community, where ShotSpotter sensors alerted police to gunshots at 6:39 p.m.
He said it appeared that a shooter or possibly more than one armed suspect opened fire, killing a man standing outside, striking another in an arm, and wounding a motorist and two children in a moving vehicle nearby, Harrison said.
“We are here again with another mass casualty incident,” he said.
The vehicle carrying the trio struck a pole and came to a stop, the commissioner said. The woman behind the wheel was hospitalized in critical condition, the commissioner said. A 6-year-old most likely suffered critical injuries in the collision and didn’t appear to have been struck by gunfire, Harrison said.
The 2-year-old in the vehicle was hit by gunfire in the face and was also stabilized at a hospital, according to the commissioner and police statements.
“What we believe happened was at some point, a gunman or multiple gunmen opened fire,” Harrison said. “We do not know if the intended target were the people in the vehicle or the individuals who are on the sidewalk.”
No suspects were in custody.
The reason behind the shooting still appeared to be unknown. “We consistently see it, and we know it’s over nothing,” Mayor Brandon Scott said.
Police pleaded with potential friends, family and witnesses with facts on the attack to come forward.
“It’s time for us to stop acting like that,” Scott said at the news conference. “We can be better. It’s on us. This ain’t on anybody else. It’s not on the police to make us be better for ourselves. We can do that.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
