15-year-old Forest Park High School student killed in Northwest Baltimore

A 15-year-old Forest Park High School student was found shot and killed in an alley behind the 4300 block of Liberty Heights Avenue on Wednesday afternoon.

Officers from the Northwest District responded to the call about 3 p.m. and found the boy suffering from gunshot wounds, according to the Baltimore Police Department. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The alleyway is roughly a block from school property. Many students were likely in the area around the time of the shooting, shortly after classes dismissed, “so we know someone has heard something or seen something,” Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said at a press conference.

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“While we are not yet ready to fully identify who he is, we are now struck with another tragedy of a young person, a high school student, a member of our community,” Harrison said.

Forest Park will open for students on a two-hour delay Thursday, Baltimore City Public Schools said in a tweet, and counselors will be available.

“Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and school community,” the school system said.

Mayor Brandon Scott said those responsible will be held accountable, as well as the person “who put that gun in their hand” and “the person who gave them the bullets.”

“We cannot continue to bury our children,” the mayor said.

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The shooting happened on the heels of an hourslong discussion by the City Council’s public safety committee on how the Police Department and the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement were grappling with the impact of crime and gun violence on Baltimore’s youths.

Much of the discussion focused on efforts between various agencies to intervene and stop shootings before they happen.

Six teenagers have been killed in Baltimore so far in 2023, according to police. Wednesday’s incident is part of a string of shootings near school campuses.

On Jan. 4, a 16-year-old Edmondson-Westside High School student, Deanta Dorsey, died in a mass shooting at the Edmondson Village Shopping Center across from the campus. Four other students were injured.

The following day, two Benjamin Franklin High School students were shot in an alley near the Curtis Bay campus.

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Baltimore Banner reporter Ben Conarck contributed to this report.

cadence.quaranta@thebaltimoreban

Cadence Quaranta

cadence.quaranta@thebaltimorebanner.com