Baltimore police investigate outside the Edmondson Village Shopping Center in southwest Baltimore on Wednesday, after a high school student was killed and four others were injured in a shooting. Photo courtesy of Baltimore Police Department
Jan. 4 (UPI) — A high school student was killed and four other students were injured Wednesday in a shooting outside of a Baltimore shopping center.
The five students were shot around 11:18 a.m., in the parking lot near a Popeyes restaurant at the Edmondson Village Shopping Center, according to the Baltimore Police Department.
The students attend Edmondson Westside High School which is located across the street from the shopping center. Investigators believe they were at the mall during the school lunch break. The school was placed under lockdown as police investigated.
“Today, we learned five students were injured after being shot in a shopping center across the street from Edmondson Westside High School,” Baltimore City Public Schools wrote in a tweet. “Sadly, one of the students has passed away.”
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said investigators believe two shooters opened fire on the group before fleeing behind a building.
“What we believe is that two shooters began to open fire at the other individuals who were all together in front of the mall,” Harrison said at a news conference.
Edmondson Westside High School has canceled classes for Thursday, as investigators continue to search for the suspects.
“We are now looking for video,” Harrison said. “We are looking for witnesses. We are looking for anything that would tell us how this happened, why this happened and who’s responsible for it.”
The student who died was 16-years-old. The injured were two 17-year-old boys and two 18-year-old men, according to police who said the victims were taken to nearby hospitals.
“This did not have to happen,” Harrison added. “We’re talking about the prevalence of guns. We’re talking about the willingness to use them. And now we’re talking about individuals who are youthful and young being involved in either being a victim of a shooting or pulling that trigger.”
