Baltimore block party mass shooting

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An 18-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man were killed and 28 others injured in a mass shooting at a Baltimore block party, officials said.

Nine people were transported from the scene to hospitals and 20 people walked into hospitals in the area. Three of the injured are in critical condition, according to a police statement.

The 18-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene and the 20-year-old was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said.

Twelve patients are being treated at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center, and four patients are being treated at the medical center’s pediatric emergency department, the University of Maryland Medical System spokesman Michael Schwartzberg said in an emailed statement.

There is no information on suspects or a motive at this time, but investigators are “working an extensive crime scene,” Worley said.

Scott said the block party was in celebration of Baltimore’s Brooklyn neighborhood, which he described as a working-class neighborhood filled with immense pride.

“It’s an event that happens in Brooklyn every year,” he told CNN’s Victor Blackwell and Amara Walker. “Folks were out there having a celebration and then at some point, gunshots rang out and folks of course were trying to get away, get out of there.”

“It is a neighborhood that has had its troubles, but a neighborhood that has seen some folks in that community really determined to see it be successful and see things turn around,” he added.

Baltimore police detectives continue to interview victims of Sunday's mass shooting that left two people dead and 28 others injured in an ongoing investigation.

In a news conference Monday afternoon, city leaders implored the public to provide information amid videos circulating on social media showing the moments before the shooting.

Investigators are looking for at least two people who used perhaps as many as three weapons.

"At this point, we do know there were multiple weapons and multiple casings that were recovered," Acting Baltimore Police Commissioner Rich Worley said.

In addition to finding who is responsible, police said they are also concerned over and preparing for possible retaliation.

Worley said a crime meeting was underway Monday involving police commanders talking about the events of the weekend and sharing Criminal intelligence information for potential retaliation.

Worley said Monday that detectives were still interviewing the wounded, most of whom are juveniles who have been released from hospitals. Under state law, police can't interview them without their parents' permission or presence.

What happened?
Gunfire caused chaos and panic at an annual Brooklyn Homes block party celebration.

"I kept hearing 'pop, pop, pop, pop.' I thought, at first, it was fireworks, but it didn't stop," said Debbie Campbell, of Brooklyn.

Darryl Barber Jr. was there with his nonprofit, The Foundation for Change, which provides guidance for youth. He said the shooting looked like a war zone.

"It was a lot of young people out there. It was traumatizing, seeing kids hiding under cars, seeing people laid out on the ground suffering from gunshot wounds," Barber said.

It turns out, the event was Brooklyn Day, which the mayor said has taken place for more than 20 years as a "moving event."

Why wasn't there a police presence?
Residents said they believe had police been at the gathering, the mass shooting may not have happened. Unlike in years past, police said they didn't know about the event in advance.

"Obviously, the conversation to deploy more resources was too late, by the time we got there, the incident had already occurred," Worley said. "We are looking (into) why it wasn't escalated up higher to the appropriate commanders that were working at a quicker pace so we could get resources there."

Worley said police staffing was not an issue, saying: "Multiple officers were deployed in other locations across the city who could have been moved there."

Last year, Worley said BPD found out a couple days ahead of time via social media that Brooklyn Day was taking place, but that occurred at a different time of the month than it did this year. Worley said that with the advance notice, BPD and other city agencies planned a presence at the event.

"We knew it was coming, but we just didn't know when. We could have put a plan in place for it," Worley said.

Worley said there was no indication that it was taking place Saturday because there was no advertisement and no notification that Brooklyn Day was taking place. Worley said there were efforts taken to find out when the event was planned for this year so that city resources could have been provided.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the focus should be on the perpetrators.