2 More Teens Charged In Baltimore's July Mass Shooting: Police

BALTIMORE, MD — Authorities on Thursday said two more people have been charged in connection with a mass shooting at a Baltimore block party that killed two young people and injured more than two dozen others, according to police.

During a news conference, police said 18-year-old Aaron Brown of Northeast Baltimore was charged with 75 counts, including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, assault and weapons charges.

According to a review of court documents by The Baltimore Sun, Brown previously was charged with attempted murder in connection with a May 19 shooting in the 4600 block of Harford Road. Brown was in jail on those charges when authorities arrested him in connection with the Brooklyn shooting, police said.

A 14-year-old boy was also charged, police said. Authorities did not release his name due to his age. The boy faces 18 counts including attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, police said.

The charges come nearly two weeks after authorities arrested 18-year-old Tristan Brian and charged him with more than 50 counts related to the block party shooting, Baltimore police said in a previous news release.

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 authorities. Acting Police Commissioner Richard Worley previously said it wasn't clear if the shooting was targeted or random.

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

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

A fourth teen — a 17-year-old boy — was arrested shortly after the shooting and faces multiple gun charges in connection with the incident. Patch is not identifying the teen because he has not been charged as an adult.

The arrests follow weeks of scrutiny of the Baltimore Police Department's response to the shooting.

Residents of south Baltimore's Brooklyn Homes public housing complex had called the police hours before gunfire broke out, saying the party was getting out of hand and some attendees were armed with guns and knives. But a "catastrophic breakdown" in communication led to inaction from officers until it was too late, officials said at a public hearing following the shooting.

A report released this week found Baltimore police ignored multiple warning signs and failed to take proactive measures in the hours leading up to the mass shooting, failures that could indicate officer bias.

In the years since Freddie Gray died in Baltimore police custody, city leaders have repeatedly pledged to reform the embattled law enforcement agency to improve community trust, especially among Black residents. Despite those efforts, the report released Wednesday morning shows significant room for improvement.

"Officer indifference may have compromised the awareness, planning and response to Brooklyn Day before the large crowds arrived," department leaders wrote in the report. "Members of the community can view such indifference (whether real or perceived) as a form of bias."

Worley promised command-level leadership changes in response to the findings. He said some officers have already been reassigned and the disciplinary process is underway against those deemed responsible.

"We know we made mistakes," he said during a news conference Wednesday morning. "We will continue to fix what went wrong."

Anyone with information about the shootings or potential suspects should contact homicide detectives at 410-396-2100. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line 866-7LOCKUP.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.