Three teenagers have pleaded guilty to charges related to a shooting at a Baltimore block party last summer that resulted in the deaths of two individuals and left 28 others injured. The incident took place on July 2 in the south Baltimore neighborhood of Brooklyn.
According to prosecutors, two of the defendants, aged 15 and 16, admitted to first-degree assault and being minors in possession of a handgun. They have been sentenced to five years in detention followed by five years of supervised probation, with an additional 20 years in detention suspended.
The third defendant, Mikhi Jackson, who was a minor at the time of the shooting but is now 18, was charged with being a minor in possession of a firearm. He has been sentenced to serve one year in prison followed by two years of supervised probation, with four years of his prison sentence suspended.
Another defendant, 18-year-old Tristan Brian Jackson, is awaiting trial on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and attempted murder.
The shooting occurred during an annual neighborhood celebration known as Brooklyn Day. Two individuals, Aliyah Gonzalez, 18, and Kylis Fagbemi, 20, lost their lives, while 28 others sustained gunshot wounds, most of whom were between the ages of 13 and 19.
Warren Brown, an attorney for one of the defendants, highlighted the prevalence of guns in urban areas and the impact it has on young individuals. He emphasized that his client, a 15-year-old, is still processing the sentence and hopes to return to his grandmother's care.
Mikhi Jackson, in addition to his legal sentence, will be required to participate in a community violence intervention program aimed at addressing cycles of violence, incarceration, and racism among young individuals in Baltimore.
