Shootings and homicides have surged in Baltimore since the April 27 burial of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old black man who died from injuries suffered in the back of a police van. Officers blame the surge on criminals who are emboldened by the hesitancy police are feeling about doing their jobs.
“In 29 years, I’ve gone through some bad times, but I’ve never seen it this bad,” Lt. Kenneth Butler told the Baltimore Sun. “Policing, as we once knew it, has changed.”