A late-night shooting outside a Woodlawn shopping center has left four people injured and business owners calling for change, as concerns over safety in the area grow.
Baltimore County Police say gunfire broke out just after midnight Friday in the parking lot of a shopping center along Woodlawn Drive near Security Boulevard. Officers from the nearby Woodlawn precinct responded quickly, finding two victims who had been shot at the scene. The two other victims with gunshot wounds walked into a nearby police station.
The shooting has renewed safety concerns among small-business owners operating in the area.
Late-night problems
“I had to redirect my clients to come in through the back door,” said Mercy Akiumbeni, owner of Braided 4U, who was working when shots rang out. “A lot of people [were] in the parking lot just having fun, and then the gunshots happened in that lounge. I had to make sure I secured the doors at my braiding shop and get home safely with my son.”
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Sonny Awan, owner of BBQ Tonite, says the late-night activity has been a recurring problem.
“It’s just absurd that this keeps happening,” he said. “Yes, safety is a concern — the safety of my customers and employees.”
Read More
Business owners say the problems often escalate during overnight hours, with public drinking, loitering and violence becoming far too common.
“So all of a sudden, at night, this whole place is very busy. In the morning, when we come, there are a lot of empty liquor bottles — Hennessy, Hennessy Black.” Awan added.
Business owners appeal for police help
This is not the first incident at the shopping center. In December 2023, a separate shooting at the same location left one person dead and several others injured. Bullet holes from that shooting remain visible on the exterior of BBQ Tonite.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Awan and others are urging police to step up patrols and for local officials to reconsider how late lounges and clubs in the area are allowed to stay open.
“At night, there should be at least one or two police cars around to keep an eye on things,” Awan said. “I think that might help or at least get to the bottom of the real problem.”
Akiumbeni echoed that sentiment: “Maybe they can cut down the hours that all of these lounges are open out here.”
Baltimore County Police are still searching for suspects and persons of interest in connection with the shooting. Anyone with information is urged to contact Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
Gun violence in Baltimore County
Baltimore County has been challenged by recent incidents involving gun violence.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
On April 14, a 16-year-old died after being shot in the 4000 block of Alan Drive in Arbutus.
On March 5, a teen was shot and killed after being chased by a gunman onto the property of Lansdowne High School.
The killing marked the 13th homicide of 2025.
Despite concerning incidents, data from the Baltimore County crime dashboard shows a drop in weapons violations.
From Jan. 1 to April 26, there were 196 incidents involving weapons violations and 197 victims.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
That’s compared to 224 incidents involving weapon law violations and 231 victims in the same time frame last year.
WJZ is a media partner. View the original story here.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.