Baltimore city passes 2011 murder rate

BALTIMORE - Squad cars buzzed around the 2700 block of Greenmount Avenue today, nearly one every two minutes each passing the remnants of last night's triple shooting scene where 16 year old Daniel Pearson became number 197 a full month and a half before last year.

But for Pearson’s girlfriend laying eyes on this scene for the very first time, this story is not in the numbers.

"I'm pregnant.  I don't know what happened because if I did, I would feel better," she wept.

But right now not many know why the father-to-be was gunned down.

Councilman Carl Stokes walked through the neighborhood Wednesday night.

“What's happening in too much of East Baltimore right now is a war.  A turf war.  People are fighting over territory,” he said, adding that many residents feel like captives in their own homes.

“If you go block to block, rowhome to rowhome you're going to find better than 95 percent of the people are everyday normal people trying to lead good decent lives"

Baltimore city Police rolled out the familiar phrase of no suspects, no motive and homicide detectives could use tip from the public; a message they'll likely end up using more than they had to last year.

"This year's homicide numbers, they're tragic.  Simply put, tragic," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Wednesday morning.

Tragic in part because the city has now passed last year’s murder total with still a month and a half left in 2012 -- the 198 ^th murder of the year happened Wednesday afternoon on Boarman Avenue, along Reisterstown Road in Northwest Baltimore, just south of Cold Spring.

The victim, Adonay Garcia-Wilson, 22, did not survive.

Rawlings-Blake says she already talked to Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts about the increased numbers.

The mayor stressed the two talked about the city's commitment to going after illegal guns and repeat violent offenders, a plan widely credited to get Baltimore to 197 for all of last year and one the mayor believes is still the key in the midst of all these numbers.

"The young man who was 197, his life is no less valuable than number 9, number 7 or number 90.  I don't believe there is an acceptable level of homicide and in order for us to become a safer city, everyone has to have that belief."

The mayor also mentioned that over all gun crime is down nine percent and violent crime and property crime are both down nearly 5 percent.

If you have any information about last night's shooting and homicide, call Baltimore city homicide at 410-396-2100.