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On Saturday, April 15, 12-year-old Baltimore boy Jaylen Richards was fatally gunned down by an unknown suspect. As of April 22, the case remains unsolved, and mothers in the area have spoken out to reporters about how they feel their children are unsafe in the city. As the Wesport Community continued to mourn Jaylen's death, local organization We Our Us held a walk in his memory.
Trigger warning: This article concerns gun violence. Readers' discretion is advised.
According to the victim's family members, Jaylen Richards had fallen in with the wrong crowd, and had been involved in carjackings in his neighborhood. His family members believe that a dispute among local criminals may have led to one of them shooting the child with an assault rifle as he attempted to run away. The case remains under police investigation.
Authorities and community members condemn the death of Jaylen Richards
Jaylen Richards' grandmother, Anitra Jones, said that the child had been tempted by criminals who exploited the local youth for their own ends.
Jones said:
"Jaylen had gotten caught up with the wrong people out there older than him, doing things that they made him do. Once you in, you can't get out the situation. He was doing things that a child his age shouldn't ... Carjackings, they had him carjacking, these older children, Jaylen didn't know how to drive. He was just hanging along for the ride."
At the time of his murder, the 12-year-old was under house arrest for an undisclosed crime. His grandmother confirmed that he died while wearing an ankle bracelet.
According to Fox Beaumont, they found the case particularly concerning after they discovered that the killer had used an assault rifle in the attack. They deduced this during the investigation, when they recovered assault rifle casings at the crime scene. They confirmed that he was struck multiple times while trying to flee.
In an interview with reporters, one local mother within the Westport Community condemned the act of gun violence.
The mother, who chose to remain anonymous, said that Richards' killing was part of an endemic crime wave that was destroying the youth of the community.
She said:
"(Jaylen Richards) didn't deserve to die that way, and I feel so sorry and heartbroken because it's like, 'Wow, when is it going to stop? When is it going to end?' I just feel so incomplete knowing that another child has died to endless gun violence."
In an interview with CBS, neighbors said that in order to deal with the crime in the area, authorities needed to provide more productive opportunities for local children. According to Dr. Andrey Bundley, who works with the Mayor's Office of African American Engagement, the community must directly engage with young people in order to make sure they are not led astray by gangs.
