STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

May Was Baltimore's Deadliest Month in 20 Years

In the month of May, the city of Baltimore is reporting the highest number of homicides since 1996. Jennifer Jeffrey-Browne, a mother, and her 7-year-old son were the most recent homicide victims, shot to death Thursday in their home.

In May, the city of Baltimore reported the highest number of homicides since 1996. Jennifer Jeffrey-Browne, 31, and her 7-year-old son were the most recent homicide victims. They were shot to death Thursday (May 28) in their home.
"I cannot think of who would want her dead," Danielle Wilder, Jeffrey-Browne's sister, told the Baltimore Sun. Police are still uncovering a motive behind the shooting. The police found the bodies of the mother and son after responding to a call of gunshots Thursday morning. They were pronounced dead at their home. 
Browne lived at the home in Southwest Baltimore for five years and got married to the father of her son a month ago, WBALTV reports.

| JUSTICE FOR FREDDIE GRAY: WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BALTIMORE |

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is calling the deaths a "tragedy" and said that swift action needs to be taken to turn down a spike in violence since the killing of Freddie Gray by six police officers in April. There have been 38 homicides in May.
"There is a small number of very violent individuals who, if let unchecked not just by the police but by the community, will continue to bring destruction and violence into our communities," Rawlings-Blake said.
The president of a Baltimore police union said that the unrest has allowed criminals to "feel empowered" and that officers are "afraid of going to jail for doing their jobs properly than they are of getting shot on duty."
A Baltimore police officer, who hid his identity, appeared on Fox New's Sean Hannity show and told the host that violence will only increase this summer as police presence slows in these communities. "After the protests, it seems like the citizens would appreciate a lack of police presence, and that's exactly what they're getting," the officer said. "No proactive policing right now."
Watch the BET.com exclusive Gray Area: Can Baltimore Be More? in the video below.

Follow Natelege Whaley on Twitter: @Natelege_ 

BET National News - Keep up to date with breaking news stories from around the nation, including headlines from the hip hop and entertainment world. 

Click here for a chance to win a trip to the 2015 BET Awards! 

(Photo: WBAL-TV, NBC Local News, Baltimore)

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.