An off-duty employee of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) was shot on Monday while reportedly returning home, marking yet another incident of gun violence in the city. The 36-year-old woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, was wounded in what appears to be a random shooting occurring around the 2300 block of North Fulton Avenue, as reported by WBAL-TV.
According to authorities, the call came in at nearly 3 p.m., police arrived at the scene to find the victim with a non-life-threatening gunshot injury, she received medical attention after driving herself to a nearby DPW location at 2331 Fulton Avenue, where she was then transported to a hospital. In a statement detailed by Fox Baltimore, the DPW confirmed the woman's connection to the department and indicated that she encountered the stray bullet while in her vehicle and self-directed to get help.
Resident Alex Nicholson relayed a sense of disbelief and shock, initially mistaking the gunfire for television noise before realizing the gravity of the situation outside her home. Nicholson stated, as per WBAL-TV, "I heard what sounded like gunshots, but I thought it was the TV because the kids were watching a program. Then, after I heard the sirens and all, I realized something must have happened outside."
Citizens, like Nicholson, are not only calling for recovery wishes to the victim but demanding a broader social remedy pleading, "I pray the victim recovers. And to the community, I pray that we come together and do better. Stop the violence," she said, per WBAL-TV, a local sentiment that echoes through the streets of a city too acquainted with the sound of sirens.
