Surveillance video captured a burst of gunfire in an alley near Arsenal Street on March 4, leaving a 20-year-old man and sparking concerns about retaliation and escalating community violence.
On March 4, the video shows a vehicle pulling into the parking lot of an apartment building in the 6600 block of Arsenal. About 20 seconds later, several gunshots rang out. At least two people can be seen on film firing weapons.
Days later, evidence of the shooting remained in the neighborhood, including a cracked windshield, bullet holes in the side of an adjacent building, and a window taped up after being damaged by gunfire. Five shotgun shells were also discovered sitting on top of a nearby vehicle in the parking lot.
According to witnesses, the victim, 20-year-old Abdule Campbell, was in a car with his girlfriend at the time of the shooting and did not get out before being killed. Neighbors characterized Campbell as a nice young man and expressed their desire to know why this occurred.
Some speculation on social media says that the shooting was payback for another shooting that Campbell did not commit. Precious Jones, founder of the group Breaking Generational Poverty, warned that the violence may signal the start of a war as the summer months approached.
“We may see a lot of bodies dropping just from this,” Jones said.
