Families Of Baltimore Mass Shooting Victims To Sue City, State: Report

BALTIMORE, MD — The families of two people killed and two others injured in a mass shooting at a Baltimore block party plan to file a lawsuit against the city, the state of Maryland and several other agencies over the incident, according to a Baltimore Banner report.

Attorneys will file a civil suit on behalf of the families against the state of Maryland, the Baltimore City Police Department, the Housing Authority of Baltimore City, the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and others, the Banner reported.

"The only thing that stops these things from happening unfortunately is to hit him in the pocketbook … All kinds of high-minded statements usually don't move the needle, especially in Baltimore. And so, we've got to," Billy Murphy, an attorney for the families, said during a news conference, the Banner reported. "The police fell down on the job."

The shooting occurred on July 2 just after 12:30 a.m. when at least two people opened fire at a party at the Brooklyn Homes public housing complex, located in the southern part of the city, according to authorities. 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.

Four people have been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting, including 18-year-old Aaron Brown of Northeast Baltimore, who was charged with 75 counts, including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, assault and weapons charges. Tristan Brian, 18, was also charged with more than 50 counts related to the shooting, Baltimore police said in a previous news release.

Additionally, a 14-year-old boy faces 18 counts, including attempted first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, police said. 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 followed weeks of scrutiny of the Baltimore Police Department's response to the shooting.

Residents of Brooklyn Homes 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 in August 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 showed 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. "We will continue to fix what went wrong."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.