14-year-old shot, 16 year old killed as lawmakers push to change charging juveniles

(WBFF) — Gun violence involving teenagers in Baltimore continued for a second day in a row, with a 14-year-old seriously injured in a Saturday night shooting and a 16-year-old found shot to death inside a North Baltimore home the night before.

Just after 10:30 Saturday night, a 14-year-old was shot twice and seriously injured. In radio traffic, a dispatcher reported “getting multiple calls for this shooting,” adding, “Heard gunshots, saw a young man on the ground.” Another update said, “I’m getting an update saying there’s a 14 year old shot.”

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Friday night, Baltimore police found a 16-year-old shot and killed inside a North Baltimore home.

The shootings come as Baltimore police announced the arrest of four teens, all charged with attempted murder in two separate shootings. In one case, one of the teens had a previous arrest for stolen auto. In the other case, the 17-year-old suspect had a previous arrest for a handgun.

Law enforcement expert Jason Johnson said juvenile crime can intensify when there are not meaningful consequences. “People escalate over time. And the escalation continues when there’s not an adequate feedback, meaning consequences. That’s what’s makes young people progress to higher levels of criminal activity,” Johnson said.

The violence and arrests are unfolding as lawmakers in Annapolis advance the Youth Charging Reform Act one step closer to being passed. If passed, 16- and 17-year-olds charged with certain crimes would not automatically be charged as adults. One of the charges covered under the proposal is wearing, carrying or transporting a handgun — the type of prior arrest noted for the 17-year-old now charged with attempted murder.

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The sponsor of the bill, Sen. Will Smith, called it “astute,” saying, “This is just a smart bill. A smart bill for public safety.”

But many of the state’s attorneys have criticized the reform act as dangerous and said it fails to teach accountability. “Public safety is something we don’t hear about, in the discussion of this bill,” one said. Another added, “Children have to understand, that there are consequences to their action.”