20-Year-Old Grazed by Gunfire on Light Street Near Federal Hill

Three days before a 20-year-old was grazed by gunfire on the 1700 block of Light Street, a man had already died in a Federal Hill alley. Southern District detectives are now urging anyone who was in the area Saturday night to come forward.

Officers arrived on Light Street at 9:49 p.m. on March 28, responding to multiple calls reporting gunfire near the Federal Hill and Riverside neighborhoods. They found the young man with a graze wound to his body; medics treated him at the scene. The shooting was possibly targeted at a car, according to the initial report, though police have not confirmed a motive.

That same corridor of South Baltimore had seen another shooting just before 10 p.m. Thursday, when police were called to an alley on the 1100 block of Marshall Street, half a block from Wayward Bar. Two men, ages 35 and 37, were found with gunshot wounds. The 37-year-old did not survive. No one is in custody for that killing.

Samantha Facius, who had been inside Wayward that Thursday night, learned about the shooting through text messages from friends. "I have never been that close at the same time of something happening," she said. Residents near Light Street reported similar unease following Saturday's shooting, with some expressing fear of retaliation.

Both incidents occurred between 9:45 and just before 10 p.m., on parallel streets inside the same neighborhood. Walking the Federal Hill and Riverside areas after dark, stick to well-lit blocks, note which homes and businesses have doorbell or security cameras pointed at the street, and call 911 immediately if you spot unusual activity near parked vehicles, given that Saturday's shooting may have targeted a car.

What we know: A 20-year-old was grazed and treated at the scene on the 1700 block of Light Street at 9:49 p.m. Saturday. A 37-year-old man died in a Marshall Street alley Thursday. Fear of retaliation is circulating near the Light Street scene.

What we don't know: Police have released no suspect descriptions for either shooting and have not confirmed whether the two incidents are connected or whether Saturday's gunfire was directed at a specific vehicle.

Call Southern District detectives at 410-396-2499 with tips on the Saturday shooting. For the Thursday fatal shooting on Marshall Street, call 410-396-2100. Metro Crime Stoppers takes anonymous tips at 1-866-7LOCKUP.