Police believe a long-running dispute between drug organizations contributed to an unprecedented eruption of violence on Baltimore's east side Sunday night that left at least 18 people shot, including two who died.
Twelve of the victims were struck at a backyard cookout that left a pregnant woman and a 2-year-old child injured, an incident that police say prompted a running gun battle between two vehicles three hours later.
Mayor Sheila Dixon called the shootings a "cowardly act" and implored the community to come forward with tips, as police directed dozens of additional officers into the eastern and southeastern districts.
"It's important from my perspective that people come forth - if not, they're going to see this happen even more, because whatever is happening is not going to stop," Dixon said at a news conference at City Hall.
Among those injured at the cookout was Steven Blackwell Jr., 25, whose younger brothers were abducted in April 2008 in what police said was part of an escalating rivalry between drug organizations. Police sources later that year told The Baltimore Sun that the abductions might have led to as many as five retaliatory homicides over three months last summer, and police vowed to crack down on the organization.
Sunday's picnic, held in adjoining backyards in the 2600 block of Ashland Ave., was held in memory of Donell Rogers, and another man, Quinton Hogan, both of whom were fatally shot a year ago and who police say were connected to Blackwell. Thirty or more people, many of them women and children, converged on the home of Lakeisha Hill, Rogers' sister.
A DJ set up turntables in the dining room. Steak, burgers and chicken sizzled on the grill. Kids played with green and yellow helium-filled balloons.
But about 9 p.m., at least one gunman appeared and began spraying bullets from a semiautomatic weapon, turning the festive scene into a battle zone. Police believe the attack might have been an attempted hit on Blackwell, who was shot in the forearm.
Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III said the shooting was "calculated" and "premeditated" and acknowledged the connection to prior violence and warring groups, though he did not go into specifics. He said police have to step up their efforts to target violent offenders.
Sunday's violence in East Baltimore continued over the next five hours and into Monday morning. About 10:15 p.m., Darvin Jones, 19, and Gary Martin, 18, were killed in a shootout in the Baltimore Highlands.
