Baltimore Man Allegedly Shoots His Father In Church After Brother’s Funeral
A Baltimore, Maryland, man allegedly pulled out a gun and shot his own father inside the church where family and friends had gathered to honor the suspect’s recently deceased brother after a religious service.
The shooting incident yesterday afternoon occurred in the recreation hall of the New Song Worship & Arts Center in West Baltimore where mourners had gathered for a post-funeral meal.
The suspect, Antonio Addison, 25, allegedly argued with his dad about the content of the brother’s obituary, according to the Baltimore Sun, when the shooting occurred. The obituary may have omitted the suspect’s name, prompting the quarrel, according to various reports.
The deceased brother who was being remembered at the church reportedly was fatally gunned down on May 25 in the city, less than a mile from where yesterday’s shooting took place, in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood.
Huge police presence on NCalhoun Street for reported shooting inside a church pic.twitter.com/Nd2ciNwgRW
— Shelley Orman (@ShelleyOFox45) June 7, 2016
“They got into some sort of an argument at this repast over what was said or how it was said at the funeral, and the suspect in this case decided to pull out a gun that he brought with him to this event and shot his own father,” a police spokesman told the Baltimore CBS affiliate and other local media outlets after yesterday’s church recreational hall shooting.
In a press conference, the same spokesman remarked that the gathering was supposed to be a celebration of a life of a loved one, but another loved one brought a gun to the celebration of life and used it against another family member to “settle a beef.” Distinguishing the family dispute that turned violent from a church shooting or a random violent crime, he also insisted that the “senseless act” was otherwise unrelated to last month’s homicide of the other brother in the family.
LIVE on #Periscope: Update on non-fatal shooting in the 1600 block of N. Calhoun Street. https://t.co/zhlIenfgow
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) June 7, 2016
“The shooting happened inside the vestibule of the tall, tan building at Gold and North Calhoun streets, police said. Dozens of officers and detectives, along with the police commissioner and deputy commissioner, converged on the church as attendees, dressed in white, watched from the street,” the Baltimore Sun separately reported.
The suspect was arrested at the scene.
First responders transported the father, 47, to a local hospital where he is receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries to his stomach and is said to be in stable condition.
The Baltimore Police Facebook page indicates that Antonio Addison, who is currently in custody, faces charges that include attempted first-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, using a firearm in the commission of a violent felony, concealment of a dangerous weapon, reckless endangerment, and discharging a firearm.
Detectives from Baltimore’s special unit devoted to gun crimes are probing the incident further and interviewing witnesses. No one else was injured in the recreational hall shooting.
An elementary/middle school nearby the church was temporarily put into lockdown until cops who arrived at about 2:15 p.m. secured the area.
“Antonio Addison’s face appeared swollen and bruised in a mug shot released by the department. Police said his injuries came from an altercation with family members after the shooting,” the Sun added.
“The Baltimore Police Department has made handgun arrests a priority citywide to stem the tide of violence, at a time when federal officials say a spike in violent crime has been plaguing cities nationwide for the past year,” the North Baltimore Patch explained.
Last year, 344 homicides occurred in Baltimore, evidently most of them gun-related. “So [far], there have been 113 homicides and 253 nonfatal shootings this year, which means Baltimore is on pace for a decreased number of homicides… and an increase in nonfatal shootings… according to the latest data available,” the Patch recalled. West Baltimore has seen 54 murders and 131 nonfatal shootings to date.
[Photo via Baltimore Police Department]
