Baltimore is now the third most violent city in the country. It's a troubling position at first glance, but a ranking that actually represents a drop in crime.
Gigi Barnett reports a would-be robber, armed with a knife, demanded money from the owner of a Charles Village cleaner Wednesday.
It appears this is a case of a store owner turning the tables on the robber who tried to take away his hard-earned money.
Right around 1:45 p.m., a man armed with a knife entered a dry cleaning shop at St. Paul and 32nd Street demanding money. The store owner pulled out a gun and shot the suspect several times. The injured suspect was taken to the hospital, and arrested, and he'll survive. Police say the store owner was shaken but not hurt.
"I couldn't believe something happened right here next to Hopkins, busy corner broad daylight. It's pretty ridiculous," Tom Bennett said.
"I've lived here two years, and this is the first time something like this has happened so close," Lenny Stem said.
Outside of the dry cleaners, a few say they're glad the store owner shot the robber.
"That's what he gets. That's what he deserves if he is going to be robbing small business places like this," Bennett said.
Police caution that civilians taking on armed criminals can be risky.
"In this case, store owner comes away unscathed and stops a robbery in progress. You never want to criticize what someone does to save them from injury, but it's certainly something people should consider carefully before they run out and purchase handguns," Sterling Clifford of the Baltimore City Police Department said.
"Somebody trying to make a living, and some undesirable wanted some free money, and it's ridiculous," Stem said.
Police say there will be a full investigation to determine if this was justified use of force on the part of the store owner, but right now he's not being charged with any crimes. Police have not yet released the identity of the suspect who was shot.
It is the latest violent incident in a city the FBI now ranks third nationally in violent crime.
"I think the biggest success is the fact that this is the lowest that it's been in 30 years, our numbers now, and because we have a very focused plan," Mayor Sheila Dixon said.
Dixon is breathing easier because last year Baltimore was the second most violent city in the nation.
This year Detroit leads the pack with more than 19,000 violent crimes. Memphis, Tenn. has taken Baltimore's old spot with more than 13,000, while Baltimore comes in with just over 10,000.
"We have all the relevant agencies cooperating and working in a concentrated way in identifying the most violent repeat offenders in Baltimore and putting them behind bars," said Rod Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for Maryland.
The statistics come as no surprise to people who live, work and hang out near the crime scene. They tell Eyewitness News they are slowly seeing changes in their neighborhoods.
Baltimore's new position reflects a decrease in homicides and a drop in assaults and shootings.
"After the real terrible year we had last year, it's definitely encouraging to be heading in the right direction," Baltimore resident Miriam Avins said.
"Overall, I think the initiatives by parole and probation to target violent offenders is responsible for today's reductions," Waverly
resident Bob Brinkman said.
The good news here is that this year Baltimore is on track to see a 30 percent drop in both homicides and non-fatal shootings. If that trend holds up, Baltimore could fall even further on the violent crime list.
