Violence erupted near the Inner Harbor Saturday night after police say two teens were shot during a fight.
The shooting happened along Pratt Street near the intersection of Commerce Street just before 11 p.m.
According to BPD, a group of juveniles had been fighting when a suspect took out a gun and shot the two victims.
It’s the most recent act of violence in Baltimore’s downtown, leading to new concerns about public safety.
“People probably don’t want to come down here because they might feel unsafe,” Baltimore resident Antoine King said.
Back in February, a man was shot and injured just a block from where Saturday night’s shooting took place. That case eventually lead to an officer involved shooting where the alleged suspect was shot and killed by police in a downtown parking garage.
“This is normally the number 1 spot for everybody from out of town,” King said. “But now it’s not the same no more.”
It’s a growing issue of violent crime creeping into some of the city’s most popular areas that one economist believes could be detrimental to the city’s wellbeing.
“If the downtown is viewed as violent, fewer visitors will come and that has all kinds of negative economic implications,” Anirban Basu, CEO of the Sage Policy Group said. “That mean jobs, the tax base and the reputation of this city.”
There will be a solution for this and it will be the final solution.