Second annual “Aaliyah Day” celebration honors woman killed in Baltimore mass shooting

By Christian Olaniran, Kelsey Kushner

Click here for updates on this story

    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — A mass shooting two years ago in Baltimore City’s Brooklyn Homes community left two victims dead and 28 injured. It was the worst mass shooting in the city’s history.

The July 2, 2023, shooting killed Aaliyah Gonzalez and Kylis Fagbemi during the annual Brooklyn Day Block Party. At least five people were arrested in connection with the shooting, but no one has been charged with murder.

The family of Aaliyah Gonzalez hosted their second annual Aaliyah Day, to honor her life, on Wednesday.

“This is a way for me to restore that hope within my family, knowing Aaliyah’s light continues to shine through us,” said Krystal Gonzalez, Aaliyah’s mother.

Krystal Gonzalez founded a nonprofit called “Redirecting our Culture,” where she hopes to bring about positive change in Baltimore and provide resources for children to help set them on the right path.

Aaliyah Day celebration The Aaliyah Day “celebration of life festival” took place at Sawmill Creek Park in Glen Burnie, where dozens showed up. The festivities included basketball tournaments, a double-dutch contest, food trucks, and ice cream.

There were also resources, including CPR training and gun violence prevention programs.

Last year, Aaliyah’s mother, Krystal Gonzalez told WJZ the event was meant to be a contrast from the one that took her daughter’s life.

“Aaliyah Day is a day we want to reflect her beautiful light onto the world,” Gonzalez said.

Police response on the day of the shooting The Baltimore Police Department released a 173-page report detailing Baltimore City’s response to the shooting, attributing staffing shortages to officers not engaging with the community and learning more about the event.

Three days before the shooting, police discovered a flyer that advertised the Brooklyn Day block party was happening. The department said it did not act on advance notice of the party, and that no one was monitoring social media the day of the event.

On the day of the party, police saw the party being set up, but did not provide extra patrols as crowds grew to as many as 900 people, per the report.

As the evening went on, police began receiving calls of multiple armed individuals

CCTV images showed fireworks being set off before the shooting.

Five plead guilty in Brooklyn Homes mass shooting Five people pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the mass shooting, but no one has been charged withkilling Kylis Fagbemi and Aaliyah Gonzalez.

In April, 20-year-old Tristan Jackson was sentenced to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to his role in the shooting.

Prosecutors said Jackson fired a gun on 8th Street near Stroll Street, in the direction of seven people who were running away, or in the air to scare them.

18-year-old Aaron Brown, along with three minors also pleaded guilty. The minors were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, second-degree assault, use of a handgun during the commission of a crime of violence, and possession of a regulated firearm under 21. They were sentenced to 25 years in prison with 20 years suspended and five years’ probation.

Brown was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Still, no one has been charged with the killings of Gonzalez and Fagbemi. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott says his detectives are still working on the case.

“We’re going to get more justice, we’re going to continue to work,” Scott said. “Those detectives are going to continue to work to figure out more people who were shooting into crowds.”

The mayor says since then, his Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement IMONSE) has poured resources into the area, with homicides decreasing in the Brooklyn Homes neighborhood by 90% in 2024.

“We just want the community to know that the mayor made a promise to the community after that tragedy that we would never leave this neighborhood, so we’re still here,” said Rick Fontaine Leandry, from MONSE.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.