‘Please Stop Shooting Each Other’: Baltimore Mayor Begs Residents To Keep Hospital Beds Clear For Coronavirus Patients

The mayor of Baltimore has asked residents to please stop shooting each other so that local hospital beds are free for coronavirus patients, according to WJZ 13 Baltimore.

“I want to reiterate how completely unacceptable the level of violence is that we have seen recently,” said Mayor Jack Young after seven people were shot Tuesday night in the Madison Park neighborhood. “We will not stand for mass shootings and an increase in crime.”

“For those of you who want to continue to shoot and kill people of this city, we’re not going to tolerate it, Young added. “We’re going to come after you and we’re going to get you.”

He urged people to put down their guns because “we cannot clog up our hospitals and their beds with people that are being shot senselessly because we’re going to need those beds for people infected with the coronavirus. And it could be your mother, your grandmother or one of your relatives. So take that into consideration.”

Commissioner Michael Harrison said the city has seen an uptick in violent crimes since Friday, including a mass shooting Tuesday night — where seven people were shot. Five people were transported to area hospitals via medics and two took private cars to the hospitals for treatment. All seven are in serious but stable condition. –WJZ 13

A local officer who was on patrol at the time traded fire with one of the shooting suspects as the man was fleeing the scene, but he was not able to match the man’s “deadly firepower” according to the report. The officer sustained minor injuries, and the incident “remains open and under investigation,” according to Commissioner Harrison.