Murders his Week: 3
Murders this Year: 15

As of Jan. 31, there were three more murders in 2011 than at the same time in 2010. All of this year’s homicide victims have been African-American males. Forty-seven percent were under the age of 30 when they were murdered. All but one was shot. The Southern police district was home to the most homicides so far this year, followed by the Northeastern. Cherry Hill is the first neighborhood this year to have two homicides stemming from two separate incidents (there was a double homicide in Parkview-Woodbrook). All but two of the homicides occurred between noon and midnight and, so far, Sunday has been the most murderous day of the week, with six homicides, followed by three each on Saturday and Monday.

Monday, Jan. 24

3:25 p.m. In the middle of the afternoon, Damon Gilmore, a 31-year-old African-American man, was shot in the head in the 1700 block of Cole Street in Carrollton Ridge. Gilmore, who lived around the corner from where he was shot, died at an area hospital at 3:59 p.m.

Friday, Jan 28

5:39 p.m. In the early evening, Raynard Benjamin, a 30-year-old African-American man, was coming out of a location in the 800 block of West Pratt Street near the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus. Three men approached him. One shot at Benjamin, hitting him several times. The gunman fled in a silver four-door Dodge truck. Benjamin died at an area hospital at 7:10 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 30

2:40 p.m. Also in the middle of the afternoon, Jeffrey Purnell, a 51-year-old African-American man, was discovered sitting in the driver’s seat of his car in the 5700 block of Eastbury Avenue in Frankford. He had been shot in the head and died at an area hospital less than an hour later. Purnell is the third person found shot to death in a car this year.

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