Annapolis leaders seek community help after shooting dead 15-year-old paralyzed boy – CBS Baltimore

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) – A day after a shooting in Annapolis left three children injured, including a 15-year-old boy who was paralyzed, city officials and faith leaders urged the public to share what they know.

It was the first of three shootings reported in the city in 24 hours, and each was within a three-mile radius.

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“Last night someone’s 15-year-old son was paralyzed by a bullet. Someone’s daughter was traumatized and fortunately survived,” Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley said. “We are asking those who know anything about this to continue.”

Standing alongside Sheriff Edward Jackson, Rhonda Charles and local faith leaders, Buckley said the city was taking a social approach to crime, but he said the violence was as it was Monday. is unacceptable.

“We’ll find out who did this,” the mayor said. “It won’t help the paralyzed young man, but we are bringing everyone to justice. They must realize that this will not be tolerated in the city of Annapolis. “

The shooting was reported around 7 p.m. Monday at the 1300 block of Tyler Avenue in the community of Robinwood. A 15-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl were taken to an area hospital with gunshot wounds.

The girl was discharged, but the boy remained hospitalized in stable condition. The third child, a 15-year-old girl, who was injured while fleeing the bullets, was treated and discharged from an area hospital.

Police suspect the shooter or shooters came out of a nearby forest and shot “indiscriminately” before fleeing into the woods the same way they came.

“All I heard were really close shots, about eight or nine shots,” one teenager who escaped told WJZ. “Once I heard that, I fell to the ground.”

No arrests have been announced and no suspect information has been released.

Annapolis police are investigating two more reported shootings, Captain Amy Miguez said.

About three hours after the two children were shot, officers responded at 10:05 p.m. in the 1900 neighborhood of Copeland Street to multiple reports of shots being fired. There, they found shell casings, but there were no victims or suspects. A car and two houses were attacked.

The third reported shooting occurred Tuesday afternoon when officers responded at 1 p.m. to the unit block of Bens Drive to reports of a shooting. Again, no victims or suspects were found.

Miguez said police have not found a link between the shootings, but each is being investigated.

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“We cannot become paralyzed with gun violence on a daily basis,” Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said in a tweet Tuesday.

We cannot become paralyzed by gun violence on a daily basis. Too many people were injured or dead. This year alone, more than 4,200 Americans were injured, incl. These two kids are in Annapolis. More than 2400 individuals were killed, incl. 49 in Baltimore alone. Congress must finally act.

– Senator Ben Cardin (@SenatorCardin) February 22, 2022

Sheriff Jackson has expressed confidence in the abilities of the officers in his department, who he describes as one of the most successful investigators in the country. But he said they could not end the violence on their own.

“We need more community engagement,” says Jackson. “If you see something, say something. It’s not like the hell we should be comfortable with when 11-year-olds and 15-year-olds get shot anywhere — not just Annapolis, in the city of Annapolis. anywhere. “

The sheriff says the community can’t just count on the criminal justice system to stop violence and hold people accountable – he says it depends on families, schools and institutions based on faith.

“We have to make sure that when things like this happen, we all have the righteous outrage to say it will not be tolerated,” Jackson said.

Bishop Craig Coates echoed the chief’s remarks, saying that the two children’s lives had been changed forever and that their peers had been traumatized. He called them victims of a war that “children shouldn’t have to fight.”

“It is a fight against peace and safety in our communities. And the weapons of our enemies are not just guns. It’s the ability to instill fear so we don’t fight back,” Coates said. “How do we resist? Definitely not with a gun but with a voice.”

The people of Annapolis still have the ability to come together and solve this problem for their community, he said. Part of that effort, he says, involves understanding that your neighbor’s children are your children too, and could be them instead.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we still have the capacity to fight back,” Coates said. “And that simply refuses to allow our voices to be silenced.”

Pastor Cheryl Menendez of World Family Ministries recalls how communities came together after a young man was murdered in Robinwood about nine years ago. She said the effort took months but eventually led to an arrest.

“Is anyone really tired? But are you tired enough to do something about it? ‘ she said. there? “

Elder Charles, a lifelong Annapolis resident, says the community is so closely intertwined that people are often reluctant to approach or turn away someone because they are relatives, classmates or longtime friends.

“I beg you, I beg you, all of you out there and here, if you know someone who is committing this behavior, call the authorities or the pastors,” she said. . “They’re here to help us.”

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