Two killed, at least 14 children injured in US mass shooting ahead of Fourth of July holiday

At least 14 children are among the dozens injured during a mass shooting at a block party in Baltimore in which two people died.

Police at the crime scene of a mass shooting incident in Maryland, US, on 3 July 2023. Two people have died and at least 30 were injured after the shooting at a block party in Baltimore. Source: AAP / Sipa USA

Key Points

• The incident took place at a block party in Baltimore.
• Two adults were killed and 28 people, including 14 children, were injured.
• Police are searching for multiple suspects.

Two people were killed and 28 others were injured, including an estimated 14 children, in a mass shooting in Baltimore, Maryland, after a neighbourhood party, police said.

An 18-year-old woman and 20-year-old man were killed and nine people were still hospitalised with gunfire wounds on Sunday afternoon, including a few in critical condition, police told reporters.

Source: SBS News

Among the injured were some 14 victims under the age of 18, said Richard Worley, acting commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department, noting that they were still trying to confirm victim ages.

Mr Worley said police were still searching for multiple suspects, and he urged the community to come forward with any information or videos.

"We know for sure there are more than one. We don't know how many (suspects)," Mr Worley said.

The tragedy rattled the city of Baltimore, 64 km north of Washington DC, at the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, when Americans typically gather for parades, barbecues and fireworks.

The shooting occurred shortly after midnight at the Brooklyn Day block party in the Brooklyn Homes neighbourhood of Baltimore, which hundreds of people attended, local media reported.

A witness told TV station Fox 45 that they had heard 20 to 30 shots fired.

Television footage of the crime scene on Sunday showed police tape blocking off yards littered with cups, plates and other trash from the event.