Slain man found on grounds of school

City police are investigating the killing of a man whose body was found on the grounds of an East Baltimore elementary school Wednesday morning.

Police said someone reported finding the body about 8 a.m. near a walkway and basketball court at Dr. Bernard Harris Sr. Elementary School, in the 1400 block of N. Caroline St. School officials and school police alerted city police to what was initially termed a "suspicious death," but spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said police soon discovered that the man had been shot in the chest.

Officers found a gun underneath him and a "half ski mask," he said. The victim was not identified pending notification of family, but he was believed to be 28 years old.

It was not clear whether a student, parent, teacher or someone else discovered the body. Edie House, a city schools spokeswoman, said the school was not placed on a lockdown.

There was a small patch of what appeared to be blood on a sidewalk Wednesday morning, surrounded by broken glass, small alcohol bottles and other trash near the school playground.

The killing is the city's 25th of the year, compared with 37 at this time last year, a drop of about 33 percent.

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