No fewer than two people have been killed while 28 were wounded in a mass shooting at a street party in Baltimore, United States.
Officials said more than one assailant opened fire at the celebration in Baltimore, a port city about an hour’s drive north of Washington which has one of the highest homicide rates in America.
The motive for the latest chapter in America’s gun violence crisis was not immediately known, and police appealed for anyone with information about who was responsible to come forward.
“Treat this as if it was your daughter, your son, your brother, your cousin that was out here, shot at this event,” Mayor Brandon Scott said.
“We must come together as Baltimore and wrap our arms around this Brooklyn community and each other,” he added, referring to the neighbourhood where the shooting took place.
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One 18-year-old woman was found dead at the scene and a 20-year-old man died after being taken to hospital, a police statement said.
The victims range in age from 13 to 32, acting police commissioner Richard Worley said.
As of Sunday afternoon, all but nine of the 28 wounded had been released from hospitals. Some remained in critical condition.
“Our officers continue to scour the very large crime scene. This was a huge crime scene. We’re talking about multiple blocks,” Worley said.
Scott said the incident “highlights the impacts and the need to deal with the over-proliferation of illegal guns on our streets and the ability for those who should not have them to get their hands on them.”
“We will not stop until we find those cowards who decided to just shoot dozens of people, causing two people to lose their lives,” he said.
With more firearms than inhabitants, the United States has the highest rate of gun deaths of any developed country – at least 44,357 in 2022, including 24,090 suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA).
Sunday’s incident was at least the 338th mass shooting to occur so far this year, according to the GVA, which defines the term as a gun-related incident in which four or more people are wounded or killed.
Earlier this year, Scott penned an editorial in The Washington Post in which he said his city “has over-relied on the three Ps – policing, prosecution and prisons – to reduce violence.”
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