Baltimore City Major Brandon Scott has had his fill of teenage violence in his city. Officials reported that a 14 and 16-year-old were shot Sunday when 200 teens recently gathered at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, a landmark tourist attraction and seaport.
Twenty-five to thirty police officers were present during the shooting incident. Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison condemned how easily teens can access firearms.
More than 40 Baltimore City Police, Baltimore City Public Schools Police, MTA, and MDTA responded to the Inner Harbor shooting incident.
Violence since the start of 2023 shows gunfire has ended the lives of five children who were under the age of 18 and 23 more injured by guns, as reported by Baltimore Police.
A 15-year-old was charged with murder in a 2022 Memorial Day shooting at Inner Harbor.
Mayor Scott has decided to take action in the wake of this recent shooting by imposing a city-wide curfew on teenagers beginning on Friday weekend previous to Memorial Day and will end on the last day in August.
The curfew guidelines will be determined by the ages of the teenagers. Teens under the age of 14 are required to be home by 9 p.m. Older teens 14 to 16 have a curfew of 10 p.m. on school nights and extended to 11 p.m. on weekends.
Violations of the curfew could cost teen parents up to $500 in fines. Teens apprehended after curfew hours will be taken to Youth Connection Centers located in Baltimore.
Mayor Scott said that summer camps and entertainment programs in city parks are in the planning stages for Baltimore youth coming this summer, but nothing has been announced. Scott also committed that many of the teens at the Inner Harbor shooting were far away from their homes that night.
The Inner Harbor is not off limits, but Scott wants teens to come and enjoy the facilities in a safe way.
A large gathering of teens was enjoying Inner Harbor in the evening last week with no arrests or injuries reported.
