Death

A 16-year-old boy was fatally shot in the torso Saturday evening in the 1400 block of N. Luzerne Ave. in Baltimore, said Detective Nicole Monroe, a Baltimore City Police spokeswoman. He was pronounced dead at John Hopkins Hospital at about 5:45 p.m. The victim's name was not released. There were no known suspects or motive in the case. - Andrea K. Walker

The death of Phylicia Barnes has been added to the city's murder total for 2011, officials said.  The move is merely an administrative issue, though it does bump up the city's first murder count under 200 since the 1970s. Phylicia went missing from Northwest Baltimore in December 2010 and her body was found floating in the Susquehanna River between Harford and Cecil counties in April 2011. State police and Baltimore detectives worked the case together. Last month, authorities charged the ex-boyfriend of Phylicia's older half-sister in her death, indicting him through a grand jury in Baltimore.

As ranking member on the House Oversight Committee's hearing into the disgraceful "Fast & Furious" Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms program, Congressman Elijah Cummings appears to be using his position to grandstand against our 2nd Amendment rights. By sympathizing with Mexican President Felipe Calderon's flawed assertion that Americans' historic and legal access to guns is the cause of Mexican bloodshed, and by attempting to use the tragic death of the border patrol agent, Brian Terry, as a tool for the gun control crowd, the congressman's behavior is shameful.

The death of former LPGA Tour player Erica Blasberg has been ruled a suicide by the Clark County Coroner's Office. The 25-year-old was found dead in her home in Henderson, Nev., on May 9. According to responding police, Blasberg was found with a plastic bag secured over her head. The coroner ruled the death a suicide due to asphyxia and toxic levels of prescription medication in her system. Thomas Hess , Blasberg's personal doctor, is being sought by police on obstruction of justice charges for allegedly removing items from the scene prior to officers arriving.

There's no way for any of us to know how Josh Hamilton feels these days, but if you ask him he will do his best to let you know. That says a lot in itself. The guy who might have the best idea about what swirls through Hamilton's head is Dodgers coach Manny Mota. It was Mota who had the misfortune to line a ball into the seats at Dodger Stadium in 1970, striking 14-year-old Alan Fish in the head. The teenager died four days later. "I'm sad for Josh, because I know how he feels now," Mota has said.

We all had hope of the return of Phylicia Barnes ("Teen's family is left with a heartbreaking puzzle," April 25). No parent or family wants to hear about the disappearance of a family member let alone discover he or she has been killed. As a mother, I can feel the pain of Phylicia's mom and my heart goes out to her. After reading articles of her disappearance, I know she was well-loved by all who knew her. As time goes by perhaps the pain of losing her will heal, but for those who were closest to her, her memories will live on. May she rest in peace.

It was disappointing to read Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s column criticizing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for not appearing before Congress to testify about the death of our ambassador to Libya ("For Republicans, a not so happy New Year," Jan. 6). Has no one has explained to Republicans the concepts "concussion" or "life-threatening blood clot" in terms simple enough for them to understand? I will bet my next paycheck that Secretary Clinton does indeed testify when she is cleared to do so by her doctors.

I want to start of by saying the following: If by some miracle I ever become a WWE announcer, one that people somehow develop a care for (for some odd reason) and in some minute way shape or form using me in a storyline after I pass away would generate a desired response or would enhance a feud between two talents leading to a marquee event, then I want everyone to know that this is exactly what I would have wanted to happen. In fact, I could only hope and dream that that happens.

The death of Phylicia Barnes, the missing teenager whose body was found last month in the Susquehanna River, has been formally ruled a homicide by the state medical examiner's office, officials said. Police also said a cause of death had been determined, but they were withholding the information for investigative purposes. "To release a cause of death at this time could jeopardize the investigation by revealing information known only to the person or persons responsible for her death," state police said in a statement.

Baltimore police have charged a 19-year-old man in connection with a shooting death earlier this year. Sgt. Anthony Smith said Saturday that Arthur Holt was arrested for first- and second-degree murder and related charges in the death of Tavon Whelchel, 18. Whelchel, of the 200 block of Pulaski St., died after he was shot several times in the torso on June 19 in the 2100 block of W. Pratt St. in Baltimore's Carrollton Ridge neighborhood....