1 Month After Baltimore Mass Shooting, Police Struggle To Find Leads

BALTIMORE, MD — One month after gunshots erupted at a Baltimore block party, killing two young people and injuring more than two dozen others, investigators are struggling to identify suspects while members of the Brooklyn Homes community await answers.

The shooting occurred on July 2 just after 12:30 a.m. when at least two people opened fire at a party in the southern part of the city, according to Richard Worley, Baltimore's acting police commissioner. It wasn't clear if the shooting was targeted or random, Worley said.

The shooting victims ranged in age from 13 to 32 years old, and 15 were minors, police said.

• RELATED: Recent Glen Burnie Graduate Killed In Baltimore Mass Shooting | 15 Minors Among 30 Shot At Baltimore Block Party: Police

Aaliyah Gonzalez, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene and Kylis Fagbemi, 20, died at a hospital, according to police.

Since the shooting, some have questioned the handling of evidence in the case. The morning after the deadly shooting, cleaners with brooms and dustpans worked behind police tape to clean up trash, according to a Baltimore Banner report. An hour later, police were laying evidence markers on the same ground.

At least two experts believe the actions were forensic missteps.

"This is the type of thing they teach us not to do at the academy," Victor Avila, a retired federal agent, told Fox Baltimore, adding that cleaning the scene may have jeopardized critical pieces of evidence.

"Were they drinking? Did they use a cup? This type of DNA evidence can't be recovered if you get rid of it. We may never know," Avila said.

Meanwhile, Boston University forensic science professor Adam Hall told the Banner, "Within my career, I've seen slight instances of things like this but nothing as wide scale."

Baltimore police defended their actions in an email to the Banner.

"Though it could be construed by others as a mistake, removal of the debris allowed investigators to recover more evidence that we would have likely been summoned back to the area to collect, collected on a follow-up scene canvass, or potentially would have lost," BPD spokeswoman Lindsey Eldridge wrote in the email.

While Baltimore police and Mayor Brandon Scott have urged patience while the investigation continues, some residents are pleading for answers or feeling ignored.

"If anybody has information, please for our family's sake, we don't want this to happen to anyone else," Aaliyah's aunt Sheldonna Wilson told CBS Baltimore. "We're sick of it as a family. We're just sick of it as a nation."

Aaliyah's mother paid tribute to her daughter on Facebook, according to reports.

"It has been four weeks since I have felt your heartbeat with mine," she said. "It's been four weeks since I've smelled your scent. Four weeks since I have seen your smile. My life has not been the same since you left the house. It's been four weeks since someone has taken my beautiful Angel from me."

While police have identified no suspects in the shooting, a 17-year-old faces multiple gun charges in connection with the incident.

Patch is not identifying the teen because he has not been charged as an adult.

• RELATED: Baltimore Mass Shooting: Teen Accused Of Pulling Gun Denied Bond

The teen, who was among those injured in the shooting, was arrested after authorities claimed he was seen in a viral video posted on social media after the shooting. In the video, the 17-year-old appears to be pulling a gun from a bag, according to a separate Banner report.

Michael Clinkscale, the teen's attorney, told the Banner his client had a toy called an Orbeez gun, which he dropped after he was shot in the leg.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn resident Danny Gonzalez accused police of ignoring the community, he told CBS Baltimore's Mike Hellgren.

"We just want our city leaders to pay a little more attention to our needs," Gonzalez said. "That's been the hard part. We're like cattle. Throw them bail of hay and let them fend for themselves. We don't have leadership."

Anyone with information about the shooting should contact police at 410-396-2100 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LOCKUP. Authorities are offering up to a $28,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and charges.