Baltimore Mass Shooting: Teen Accused Of Pulling Gun Denied Bond

BALTIMORE, MD — A 17-year-old facing multiple gun charges in connection with a mass shooting at a Baltimore block party that left two people dead and more than two dozen injured has been denied bond while he awaits trial, according to multiple reports.

District Judge Kent J. Boles Jr. issued the order Monday at a bail hearing for the teen arrested last week in connection with the July 2 shooting on Gretna Court, the Baltimore Banner reported. He previously was charged with five counts, including possession of a firearm by a minor and reckless endangerment.

Boles decided to hold the teen without bail, agreeing with state prosecutors and calling him a danger and threat to the community, reports said.

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

The shooters have not been identified or taken into custody.

The shooting occurred just after 12:30 a.m. when at least two people opened fire at a block party in the Brooklyn Homes area 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.

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

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, the Banner reported.

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.

According to reports, Clinkscale said Baltimore Police had not recovered a toy or a real gun. In an interview with WBAL, Clinkscale said he believes prosecutors will have a hard time proving their case without a weapon.

"Those charging documents are really going to be challenging. The charging document is their case, and we don't believe it," Clinkscale said. "The police clearly do not have a weapon, as the judge clearly said in court. It's going to be a very significant challenge to determine that this young man even had possession of a gun, handgun, or otherwise, and we are going at them because they do not have the evidence to put this young man down."

Clinkscale told WBAL the teen is a "good kid" with no criminal history.

A source told the Baltimore Banner that bullet casings from more than a dozen guns were collected from the scene, with the outlet noting that it is still not clear how many people fired weapons or whether all the casings were from the same shooting.

The shooting in Baltimore occurred as federal prosecutors touted their efforts to reduce violent crime in the city. Police have reported nearly 149 homicides and 352 shootings so far this year, though that's down from the same time last year. Authorities have vowed to crack down aggressively on repeat violent offenders.

At a news conference following the shooting, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott vowed to find those responsible.

"I want those who are responsible to hear me, and hear me very clearly," Mayor Brandon Scott said at the scene. "We will not stop until we find you, and we will find you. Until then, I hope that every single breath you take, that you think about the lives that you took, think about the lives that you impacted here tonight."

Scott asked anyone with information to come forward to help investigators locate the "cowards" who were responsible for the shooting.

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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.