Baltimore police: 12-year-old girl killed, 3 wounded in shooting at youth football event
In short
A 12-year-old girl was fatally shot and three adults were wounded at Leon Day Park in Baltimore on Saturday evening, where a youth football league was holding its homecoming event, police said. Police Commissioner Richard Worley said two men arguing — believed to be over a parking spot — began shooting at each other and the girl was caught in the crossfire. Police said they were seeking at least two adult male suspects; no arrests had been announced as of late Saturday night.
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A 12-year-old girl was fatally shot and three adults were wounded at Leon Day Park in Baltimore on Saturday evening, where a youth football league was holding its homecoming event, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said at a news conference. Police said the girl was pronounced dead at a hospital. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
Worley said two men involved in an argument, believed to be over a parking spot, began shooting at each other, and the girl and a woman were struck by the bullets. “What we know is that there was some type of argument between two cowards, and of course, they both opened fire on each other,” Worley said. “In the crossfire, a 12-year-old little girl who was probably down there watching football was shot and killed.” [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
According to Baltimore police, officers responded at approximately 6:15 p.m. to the 1200 block of North Franklintown Road after receiving multiple reports of gunfire. Officers found a 25-year-old woman with an apparent gunshot wound and the 12-year-old girl, who was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead. A 28-year-old man and a 23-year-old man separately walked into area hospitals seeking treatment for gunshot wounds, police said. All three surviving victims were listed in stable condition, and Worley said the adults' injuries were not life-threatening. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
As of Saturday evening, police said they were searching for at least two suspects, described as adult men, and no arrests had been announced as of late Saturday night. Worley said police were still processing the scene in the expansive park and that it was not immediately known how many shots were fired, and he urged anyone who witnessed the shooting to contact police. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
Mayor Brandon Scott said the shooting unfolded because two adults could not resolve an argument without guns. “Two grown men got into an argument, and now a 12-year-old is gone,” Scott said. “We never should have to say something like that. What happened out here today is one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen in my life.” Scott said the girl's death would have a profound impact on the community and offered his condolences to her family. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
Why it matters
The shooting took place at a community youth sports event in a public park, and Baltimore's mayor said the girl's death would have a profound impact on the community. Police said they were still searching for suspects, leaving the immediate question of arrests unresolved. The documents give no wider data or policy context beyond the incident itself.
Key facts
- A 12-year-old girl was fatally shot at Leon Day Park in Baltimore on Saturday, where a youth football league was holding its homecoming event. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Three adults were wounded: a 25-year-old woman found at the scene and two men, aged 28 and 23, who walked into area hospitals for gunshot wounds. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Police Commissioner Richard Worley said two men in an argument believed to be over a parking spot began shooting at each other, and the girl was caught in the crossfire. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Officers responded at about 6:15 p.m. to the 1200 block of North Franklintown Road after multiple reports of gunfire, according to Baltimore police. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- The surviving victims were listed in stable condition, and Worley said the adults' injuries were not life-threatening. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Police said they were searching for at least two adult male suspects, and no arrests had been announced as of late Saturday night. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Mayor Brandon Scott said: “Two grown men got into an argument, and now a 12-year-old is gone.” [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A 12-year-old girl was fatally shot and three adults were wounded at Leon Day Park during a youth football league homecoming event. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said two men arguing, believed to be over a parking spot, opened fire on each other and the girl was struck in the crossfire. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Police were seeking at least two adult male suspects as of Saturday evening, with no arrests announced as of late Saturday night. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Mayor Brandon Scott said the girl's death stemmed from two adults failing to resolve an argument without guns, calling what happened “one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen in my life.” [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- How many shots were fired. Worley said at the news conference that it was not immediately known, and no document provides a figure.
- Whether the girl was watching the football game when she was hit. Worley said she was “probably down there watching football,” a tentative characterization rather than a confirmed detail.
- How many people fired and how many suspects remain at large. Police said they were seeking “at least” two suspects, an open-ended figure reported by all three documents.
- The girl's identity and the identities of the wounded. No document names any victim.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Baltimore police respond to the 1200 block of North Franklintown Road / Leon Day Park after multiple reports of gunfire; officers find a 25-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl with gunshot wounds. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Fox News publishes its report on the shooting, citing the police news conference and describing the suspects as still at large late Saturday. [ 1 ]
- ABC News reports that police were still processing the scene and that the number of shots fired was not immediately known. [ 5 ]