Gunfire didn't take a holiday as Baltimore suffered a record-breaking wave of violence – 9 fatal shootings and 28 people injured – over the Memorial Day weekend and just days after the indictment of six city police officers in connection with the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody.
The 35 deaths this month in Baltimore are the most the city has seen since 1999,
according to the Baltimore Sun. There have been 108 homicides in the city this year.
"It's deplorable," city councilman William "Pete" Welch told the Sun. "The shootings and killings are all over the city. I don't think any part of the city is immune to this. I've never seen anything like it."
The indictment of the officers last Thursday didn't appear slow the violence over the long weekend, Baltimore police told
WJZ-TV. Baltimore city council member Mary Pat Clarke told the television station she believed the city is struggling to recover from weeks of unrest after Gray's death followed by riots and unrest.
"It was an earthquake kind of time and I think we're still dealing with the aftershock," Clarke told WJZ-TV.
WBAL-TV said five of the nine deaths happened from Friday night to Saturday, putting Baltimore police on high alert.
"The reality is over the last five days, our guys have taken off 10 guns in separate situations, our guys have served search warrants on North Avenue and taken off some bad characters there," said Police commissioner Anthony Batts on Sunday.
"We had a pursuit today around Mondawmin. The officers did a good job in making arrests out there. And earlier this week, unfortunately, in the Eastern (District), where we have some traditional gang violence, five were shot and officers engaged and took two of those guys to jail, so there's a consistent pattern of officers doing a good job out here," Batts continued.
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