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Video obtained exclusively by WJZ shows the chaotic moments leading up to a fatal shooting in Baltimore's Federal Hill community Sunday morning.
Video from a security camera near Key Highway, operated by the MATCOM Office of Public Safety, shows a group of people gathering in the parking lot of a small plaza.
After shots were fired, people are seen running away toward the neighborhood and the Inner Harbor area. Others sped away in vehicles.
The victim was seen running away before collapsing on the sidewalk.
MATCOM serves as private security in Federal Hill and said it set up the camera about a week before the shooting at the intersection of Battery Avenue and Key Highway in an effort to keep the community safe. The company said Baltimore police are now using the video footage to search for a suspect.
Officers responded to the 200 block of Key Highway after a reported shooting around 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
Police arrived to find a man unresponsive with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to officers.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 410-396-2100 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.
Ian Neuman is the president of the Federal Hill Neighborhood Patrol, which began five years ago after a string of incidents in the community.
As WJZ reported last year, Neuman said a group of neighbors continues to pay MATCOM for private security from the spring to the fall. The group said crime numbers have dropped by 41% in some categories in certain parts of Federal Hill since private security was hired.
"I would say that you could see something like this coming a mile away," Neuman said. "Things down on that part of the neighborhood have been bad for years."
Neuman said he heard three or four gunshots early Sunday morning. The plaza where shots were fired is directly behind his home.
The shooting happened near the newly opened Tipsy Scoop Barlour. The owner said he's seen people gather in the plaza before.
"Usually, I don't know why this area, but they'll pull into this lot, just hang out, hang out at their cars with their friends, so this seems to be a hangout spot," said Brandon Bennett, the owner of the new ice cream shop.
In a statement, Baltimore City Councilman Zac Blanchard, who represents Federal Hill, said he is calling for a new strategy to keep the area safe.
"This stretch of Key Highway has been a severe late-night public safety problem for years now," Blanchard said. "We need a comprehensive plan to discourage bad late-night behavior there. I hope to see city agencies, businesses, and the residential community working together to prevent further tragedies there."
Neighbors hope the city can do something to reduce crime in and around Federal Hill Park.
"I would hope the city would do something, but I have very little faith in the city. They promise a mile and give you an inch," Neuman said. "My wife is not happy this morning. She has now mentioned that it's a great neighborhood, but maybe we need to move."