Summary

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Supers/Fonts: Thursday

Baltimore, MD


John Young

Victim's Uncle


Mayor Brandon Scott

(D) Baltimore

Story Location: Baltimore

State/Province: Maryland

Shot Date: 06/27/2024

URL: https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/baltimore-police-fire-two-discipline-botched-response-brooklyn-day-mass-shooting/

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Newsource Notes:

Story Description:
Elements:
3rd party surveillance stills from night of shooting; VO file of shooting scene and investigations; sound from uncle of victim; FS of BPD employees charged; sound from Mayor Scott; 3rd party still of victim;

Wire/StoryDescription:
Two Baltimore Police employees were recommended to be fired and 10 others disciplined after an internal investigation into its response to the deadly 2023 Brooklyn Day mass shooting uncovered policy and misconduct violations.

The recommendations, made after a nearly year-long investigation, were announced Thursday in a police press release. No employees were named, and the circumstances of the violations were not disclosed.

Fifteen employees were investigated, including a captain, two lieutenants, four sergeants, three officers and five staff members.

Those charged were eight sworn officers and four civilian employees for "violations due to actions or inactions tied to the mass shooting and/or the investigation into possible misconduct."

Twelve employees were charged with false statements, neglect of duty, body-worn camera violation, and conduct unbecoming.

One officer and one civilian were fired. Three officers lost four days of pay. Two officers lost three days of pay. And two officers and three civilians lost two days of pay.

"This tragedy has left deep scars on all of Baltimore made worse by the understanding that there were preventable failures and mistakes made by those who are charged with keeping all of our residents safe," Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement Thursday. "These recommendations are fair, and hopefully they will aid in the effort to heal from this tragedy and ensure the department is better equipped moving forward."

Family of murdered woman seeks justice
The family of Aaliyah Gonzalez, one of the two killed in the shooting, said they are thankful someone is being held accountable. No one has been charged directly in the murders of Gonzalez and Kylis Fagbemi.

"It's great that they're being held accountable," said John Young, Gonzalez's uncle.

Young spoke with WJZ nearly a year after the July 2, 2023, shooting at the large, unpermitted Brooklyn Day block party that left 28 more injured.

"They should've been up there, so many people," Young said.

Gonzalez's family says more needs to be done to bring justice for the deaths of the two young adults.

"We just want the perpetrators caught," Young said. "The person that shot my niece in the head, we need to know who they are."

Five people have been charged for being involved in shooting, and three of them took plea deals.

"We're trying to hope and have some faith that soon somebody will be held accountable for Aaliyah's death," Young said.

Mayor deems disciplines as fair
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called the reprimands fair.

"I hope that everyone, not just in BPD, but across city government sees that if you don't do your job, you'll be held accountable, period," Scott said.

Scott said the investigation into the response to the Brooklyn Day shooting is ongoing.

Police inaction, lapses in intelligence on Brooklyn Day
A 173-page "after action" report, released in August 2023, found some police supervisors failed to do their jobs, ignored what was going on around them and did not call for reinforcements.

The report found some police supervisors "gave very little consideration on the potential public safety concerns of having a crowd the size of 800 to 900 people without sufficient police presence."

And they, along with two CitiWatch camera operators, ignored signs of the party.

There were also lapses in intelligence.

Police initially said they did not know of Brooklyn Day 2023 despite social media postings and flyers advertising the event recorded by the department's intelligence.

Last year after the report was released, then-acting BPD Commissioner Richard Worley promised accountability.

A cookout thrown into chaos
Hundreds were celebrating the annual "Brooklyn Day" block party last July when gunfire erupted, killing 18-year-old Aaliyah Gonzalez and 20-year-old Kylis Fagbemi, and injuring 28.

Five suspects were charged in the shooting. Aaron Brown, 18, and, Tristan Brian Jackson, 18, along with three minors, were charged with attempted first and second-degree murder.

A 15-year-old and a 16-year-old pleaded guilty last month to first-degree assault and minor in possession of a firearm. They were sentenced to 25 years in prison with 20 years suspended and five years of probation.

Mikhi Jackson, who was 17 at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to being a minor in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to five years, with four years suspended, and two years of probation.

Station Notes/Scripts:
ANCHOR:

THE BIG STORY TONIGHT THE BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS RECCOMENDATING THAT TWO BALTIMORE POLICE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEESBE FIRED AND 10 OTHERS DISCIPLINED FOR BOTCHING THE RESPONSE TO THE BROOKLYN DAY MASS SHOOTING.



ANCHOR VO:

THAT SHOOTING WHICH IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE WORST IN BALTIMORES HISTORY HAPPENED NEARLY A YEAR AGO ON JULY SECOND.

28 PEOPLE WERE INJURED, AND TWO YOUNG PEOPLE WERE KILLED: KYLIS FAGBEMI AND AALIYAH GONZALEZ.



WJZ IS LIVE TONIGHT OUTSIDE BALTIMORE CITY POLICE HEADQUARTERS.

JESSICA ALBERT SPOKE WITH THE FAMILY OF AALIYAH GONZALEZ TO SEE HOW THEYRE FEELING ABOUT THESE NEW DEVELOPMENTS.


THE FAMILY OF AALIYAH GONZALEZ TOLD ME THEY DIDNT KNOW ABOUT THESE RECCOMMENDATIONS UNTIL I CALLED THEM AFTER THE NEWS BROKE THIS MORNING.

THEY TELL ME THEYRE THANKFUL SOMEONE IS BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE SINCE NO ONE HAS BEEN CHARGED DIRECTLY FOR AALIYAHS MURDER YET.




AS THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF BALTIMORE'S WORST MASS SHOOTING APPROACHES A MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BALTIMORE POLICE THE DEPARTMENT IS RECOMMENDING THAT TWO BPD EMPLOYEES BE FIRED AND 10 OTHERS DISCIPLED FOR THEIR ACTIONS THAT DAY.
John Young/Victim's Uncle: "It's great that they're being held accountable."
WJZ SAT DOWN WITH JOHN YOUNG THE UNCLE OF AALIYAH GONZALEZ ONE OF THE TWO PEOPLE KILLED DURING THE SHOOTING THAT BROKE OUT AT A LARGE, UNPERMITED BLOCK PARTY ON JULY SECOND OF LAST YEAR.
28 OTHERS WERE INJURED.
John Young/Victim's Uncle: "They should've been up in there. So many people."
WJZ FIRST LEARNED THERE WERE ISSUES WITH THE RESPONSE TO THE BROOKLYN DAY MASS SHOOTING ABOUT TWO MONTHS AFTER IT HAPPENED WHEN A 170-PAGE REPORT CAME OUT.
THAT REPORT WAS HANDED OVER TO BPDS PUBLIC INTEGRITY BUREAU FOR REVIEW.
A TOTAL OF 15 EMPLOYEES WERE INVESTIGATED, INCLUDING A CAPTAIN, TWO LIEUTENANTS, FOUR SERGEANTS, THREE OFFICERS AND FIVE STAFF MEMBERS.
12 OF THOSE PEOPLE WERE CHARGED FOR CONDUCT UNBECOMING, MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS, NEGLECTING THEIR DUTIES AND BODY CAMERA VIOLATIONS.
BPD WON'T COMMENT ON WHO IS BEING RECOMMENDED TO BE FIRED BUT WE KNOW THOSE EMPLOYEES ARE A SWORN MEMBER OF THE DEPARTMENT AND A CIVILIAN STAFF MEMBER.
THE 10 PEOPLE WHO WILL NOT LOSE THEIR JOBS COULD HAVE TO ATTEND COUNSELING AND BE DOCKED PAY.
MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT CALLED THE REPRIMANDS FAIR.
Mayor Brandon Scott/(D) Baltimore:"I hope that everyone not just in BPD but across city government sees that if you don't do your job, you'll be held accountable period."
WHILE THE CHARGES AGAINST THE OFFICERS BRING SOME COMFORT TO GONZALEZS FAMILY THEY SAY MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE.
John Young/Victim's Uncle: "We just want the perpetrators caught. The person that shot my niece in the head . We need to know who they are."
SO FAR, NO ONE HAS BEEN CHARGED YET WITH MURDER FOR THE LIVES LOST DURING THE SHOOTING.
BUT FIVE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CHARGED FOR BEING INVOLVED.
THREE OF THEM TOOK PLEA DEALS LAST MONTH.
John Young/Victim's Uncle: "We're trying to hope and have some faith that soon somebody will be held accountable for Aaliyah's death."



LIVE:

NEXT WEEK, AALIYAHS FAMILY WILL BE HOSTING A CELEBRATION OF LIFE EVENT IN GLEN BURNIE ON THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE SHOOTING.

THE OFFICERS CHARGED WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHALLENGE THOSE CHARGES IF THEY CHOOSE TO.



--SUPERS--
Thursday
Baltimore, MD


John Young
Victim's Uncle


Mayor Brandon Scott
(D) Baltimore

--LEAD IN--


JESSICA ALBERT HAS THE DETAILS.
--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS--

--TAG--

-----END-----CNN.SCRIPT-----

--KEYWORD TAGS--
MARYLAND BROOKLYN AALIYAH GONZALEZ CRIME DMV DELMARVA POLICE OFFICERS