Maryland Blogger alliance
The Maryland Blogger Alliance
Only in Baltimore
A man determined not to be the victim of a robbery in downtown Baltimore wrestled a gun away from his attacker and shot him three times, city police said.
Around 9 p.m. Sunday, police responded to the 100 block of North Howard Street where they found Calvin Ray, 21, suffering from gunshot wounds to the chest, hip and lower back, police said.
Upon investigation, police learned that Ray — who has a long arrest record — and another man followed three men who got off the subway on North Eutaw Street for 20 minutes and then attempted to rob them on Howard Street, said Officer Troy Harris, a police spokesman.
One of the would-be victims, a 22-year-old man whose name was not released, wrestled Ray over the handgun and “was able to redirect the gun toward the suspect,” Harris said.
The gun fired twice, striking Ray, and the gun fell to the ground.
The 22-year-old man picked up the gun and shot Ray again as he charged at him, Harris said.
Ray was in serious but stable condition at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center Wednesday.
“If you look at Ray’s charging history, he’s been a bad boy with guns, robbery and assault,” said David Briggs, a community activist and blogger who often speaks out against crime. “Certainly, the justice system didn’t protect the victim.
“If you want to survive in this town, you need to be good on your feet.”
Ray, of the 400 block of Cummings Court, was convicted of first-degree burglary in 2003 and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was released early, in July, on good-behavior credits and is under the supervision of Parole and Probation, said Elizabeth Batholomew, an agency spokeswoman.
“No sooner does he get out than this happens,” Briggs said. “This is like the poster child for criminality in Baltimore.”
Margaret Burns, spokeswoman for the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, said the office will investigate the shooting to determine what, if any, charges should be filed.
“We will review the statements of witnesses and forensics to determine whether the shooting was in self-defense and therefore a justified shooting.”
Un-bloody-believable. Nearly anywhere else in the USA, this would be a slam-dunk, and the would-be victim considered an urban hero. Here in Baltimore, he will have to twist in the wind while a flock of people second-guess what happened. Perhaps he could have run and evaded the robber; was the third shot justifiable; did the victim "aggravate" the robber in some fashion; on and on and on, while it's as obvious as the nose on your face that this SOB deserved what he got.