Baltimore violent crime spree leaves dozens shot, 15 dead, over 8-day period

As violent crime and property damage spikes in many communities across the nation, the city of Baltimore, Maryland, marked a particularly grim statistic over the past week

According to a new CBS News report, 50 people were shot — 15 of them fatally — between Sept. 6 and 14.

“A storm of people”

The spree started over the Labor Day weekend and did not let up after that. Monday night marked the most recent homicide on the list.

In that incident, 52-year-old Vincent McCoy was found inside of his crashed car in the 2300 block of Hollywood Avenue with apparently fatal gunshot wounds. A short time later, an 18-year-old male was rushed to the hospital after he was discovered shot and injured on Griffis Avenue.

During the period of gun violence that claimed more than a dozen lives, one 14-year-old boy was among the dead. His body was reportedly found on Friday in Coldstream-Homestead Montebello.

One suspect, 24-year-old Dandre Woods-Bethel, has been arrested on suspicion of killing two women on Saturday in Northeast Baltimore. The following day in Federal Hill Park, a surveillance camera captured the horrified reactions of witnesses to the murder of 39-year-old Melvin Thompson.

“I saw a storm of people running down the staircase,” said one local.

“No discernible crime plan”

Local law enforcement and election officials are addressing the spike in violent crime. The city’s police union issued a complaint on Monday that there is “no discernible crime plan” among leaders to address the situation.

“In the last 10 days there have been 19 homicides & 43 failed murders (shootings) in Baltimore. Also there have been many stabbings/cuttings,” the group tweeted. “There is no discernible crime plan for the daily violence and the BPD is making no progress in filling the 500 vacancies.”

With Baltimore on pace to surpass 300 murders for the sixth year in a row, Democratic Mayor Bernard Young denounced the violent criminals in a statement earlier this year.

“We’re talking about Black Lives Matter,” he said in July. “Then we need to act like the black murders in the city matter as well.”

The scourge of violent crime and destructive rioting is impacting more and more American communities ahead of Election Day, which means millions of voters are likely to consider law and order an issue of primary importance as they head to the polls.

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