Baltimore Grapples with Rising Youth Violence Amid Pandemic Increase

Michelle Hines' son Izaiah Carter, 16, was fatally shot in a park adjacent to his Baltimore high school, part of an alarming trend of children and teens getting shot despite overall gun violence decreasing in the city. Local leaders are intensifying efforts to reduce youth violence and increase student safety after several recent shootings of high schoolers, including three teens killed within blocks of their schools.

Key Takeaways:

• The shooting of 16-year-old Izaiah Carter is one of several recent incidents of children and teens getting shot in Baltimore, despite overall gun violence decreasing in the city.
• Izaiah's mother, Michelle Hines, had taken extensive precautions to protect her son, including frequent communication with teachers and coordination of extracurricular activities.
• The suspected shooter, Roger Alexander Alvarado-Mendoza, 23, was arrested in Texas while trying to flee the country, and was not a student at Patterson High School.
• Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison stated that "it has to stop" after a recent increase in youth violence, with many incidents occurring in majority-Black neighborhoods.
• Izaiah was remembered by his friends and loved ones as having a quirky smile, goofy personality, and caring demeanor.
• His mother is considering moving to the suburbs in an attempt to remove his younger brother and sister from the dangers of growing up in Baltimore.
• Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott discussed the city's "dual approach" to public safety, which combines law enforcement action with social programs aimed at steering people toward alternatives to crime.
• Despite a 25% decrease in overall shootings and homicides in Baltimore compared to last year, five children under 18 have been fatally shot and another 21 injured in gunfire since the start of 2023.

Statistics:

• Five children under 18 have been fatally shot since the start of 2023 in Baltimore.
• Twenty-one children under 18 have been injured by gunfire since the start of 2023 in Baltimore.
• Three teens were killed within blocks of their public high schools since the start of 2023 in Baltimore.
• Gun violence in Baltimore decreased by 25% overall compared to this time last year.
• Since the start of 2023, one student died and four others were wounded in a shooting outside a Popeyes restaurant across the street from Edmondson-Westside High School in west Baltimore.

Sources:

• Decades after losing her older brother to gun violence, Michelle Hines tried everything to keep her teenage son safe: checking in regularly with his teachers, coordinating extracurricular activities, and most importantly, trying to prevent him from growing up too fast. Despite those efforts, Izaiah Carter was fatally shot earlier this month in a park adjacent to his Baltimore high school. He had recently turned 16.
• "We talk about the prevalence of guns in our community and the ease of access. We talk about the willingness to use those guns -- and now, yet again, we're talking about young people using guns against other young people," Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said at the scene.
• "This shooting did not occur inside of the school building," Baltimore schools CEO Sonja Santelises told reporters at the homicide scene. "When young people want to find a way out, we cannot have our eyes everywhere at the same time."
• Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the city is working hard to address youth violence, citing the "dual approach" to public safety that combines law enforcement action with social programs.