Baltimore City officials and communities are continuing to learn more details surrounding the devastating mass shooting in South Baltimore’s Brooklyn neighborhood on Sunday.
Police have confirmed a young man and woman were killed and a staggering 28 others were injured in the gunfire that interrupted the annual Brooklyn Day festivities.
Here’s what we know about the victims.
Two deaths
Baltimore police have confirmed two young adults were killed in the gunfire. An 18-year-old woman, Aaliyah Gonzalez, was pronounced dead at the scene. Another young man, Kylis Fagbemi, 20, died at an area hospital.
Just weeks before the shooting, Gonzalez graduated from Glen Burnie High School in Anne Arundel County, principal Kevin Carr confirmed in a letter to families Monday.
“Aaliyah was a quiet student who was proud of her academic achievements. She made the honor roll in every marking period this year and was looking forward to a bright future,” Carr wrote in the letter.
The victim’s mother, Krystal Gonzalez, told The New York Times that she had recently thrown a graduation party for her daughter, who had been working extra shifts at Starbuck’s to save money for a car. After initially stating her desire to attend college out of state, Aaliyah decided recently to enroll at Anne Arundel Community College.
“All of a sudden, in senior year as it’s coming to a close, she said, ‘Mom, I don’t want to leave; I want to stay here,’” Gonzalez told the newspaper. “She wanted to stay with us.”
Krystal Gonzalez said her daughter wasn’t familiar with Brooklyn and was staying with a friend who decided to go to the party.
“She was such a good girl,” Gonzalez told The Times. “She would analyze people — Why are they feeling this way? What can I do to help? — that’s who Aaliyah was. She was so, so bright and sensitive, and I swear this world did not deserve her. She was too good to be here.”
Krystal Gonzalez said the family learned Aaliyah had been shot when someone used her cell phone to call and tell them Sunday morning. “No! she heard her husband shout. Incredulous, she raced to the scene only to be held back by officers from seeing her daughter’s body. “It hurts so bad,” she told The Times, saying police needed to find the gunman.
On social media, Krystal Gonzalez shared photos of her daughter beaming in a red cap and gown for graduation, surrounded by smiling family members, as well as a brief video of a birthday celebration. “Why would they do this to a perfect angel. I love you so much baby. I didn’t get there fast enough,” she wrote.
Rashon Shelborne, Aaliyah’s brother, was also grief-stricken. He told WBAL that it was unfair “for this tragic situation to come to the person that -- the beautiful soul that she is.”
The victim’s little brother Jaidyn wept as he clutched a teddy bear, describing Aaliyah as “the best sister I could ever ask for and I miss her so much.” Her father seemed inconsolable. “They took the best person in the whole wide world away from us,” George Gonzalez, staring down, told WBAL.
The family has created a gofundme site to raise money for her funeral services.
School administrators have been in touch with the young woman’s family to offer resources and support, Carr said in the letter. Members of Gonzalez’s family could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.
Carr’s letter also encouraged students and families to contact their schools to speak with a counselor or to call the 24-hour Anne Arundel County Crisis line at 410-768-5522.
“I encourage you to talk openly with your child about this sad event, and to help them understand that it’s OK not to have answers to every question,” Carr said in the letter. “Children learn how to deal with grief by watching adults deal with grief. Please do not be afraid to express your emotions in front of your children.”
Injured victims were young
Police said 17 females and 11 males were injured in the incident Sunday. The victims ranged in age from early teens to 30s.
Female victims injured in the incident included:
- one 13-year-old
- one 14-year-old
- two 15-year-olds
- three 16-year-olds
- two 17-year-olds
- two 18-year-olds
- three 19-year-olds
- one 20-year-old
- one 23-year-old
- one 32-year-old
Male victims who were injured also ranged in age from early teens to 30s. They include:
- one 13-year-old
- one 15-year-old
- two 16-year-olds
- two 17-year-olds
- three 18-year-olds
- one 22-year-old
- one 31-year-old
Nine people remained hospitalized, Baltimore Police Acting Commissioner Richard Worley said Sunday.
MedStar Harbor Hospital initially received 19 patients who were injured in the shooting — a record for the Cherry Hill hospital, representatives said Monday. Prior to this week, MedStar Harbor officials estimate the highest number of patients to walk in or arrive by ambulance within an hour was around 15.
MedStar officials say nine patients have since been discharged. MedStar Union Memorial also received two patients, both of whom have been discharged.
The other 10 patients were transferred later to Johns Hopkins Hospital and University of Maryland Medical Center, which includes Shock Trauma.
Johns Hopkins Hospital received two patients, one of whom was treated and released. The other victim was in good condition Monday afternoon, officials said.
University of Maryland Medical Center is caring for six patients, four of whom are listed in critical condition, a hospital representative said Monday afternoon.
Young victims part of recent trend
A Banner analysis of Baltimore Police crime data found this is the most people shot in one incident since at least 2015, the earliest year in which the database has reliable data.
Until Sunday, the most shot in a single incident in Baltimore since 2015 was eight people in a 2016 Johnston Square incident. No one died in that shooting. The most people killed in one incident is three. That has happened five times since 2015, including an April shooting in the North Harford Road neighborhood when four people were shot.
Last month, the city was on track to reverse its homicide rate for the first time since 2018, though the lessening violence is not being felt evenly across the city. However, the attack in Brooklyn adds to an already record number of shootings involving high school-age teens this year.
The number of children being shot in Baltimore has been on the rise since 2022, a year that ended with 84 shooting victims under the age of 18.
Police have since rolled out a curfew on weekends and holidays for the city’s young people in an effort to keep them safe after dark. Critics of the policy say it further limits public spaces where young people to spend time unsupervised particularly during the summer months when school is not in session.
Baltimore Banner staff contributed to this article.
