“We’re going to allow them time to do their work, as they always do in these instances, to make sure that we figure out what actually happened here so that we can move and accountability fashion at the best way possible,” said Mayor Scott. Investigators from both the police and fire departments are getting assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, officials said. I’m very thankful for the job that our members did.” READ MORE: IMAGES: Scenes From AFRAM 2022 In BaltimoreĪ police spokesperson said the fire is being treated as a case of malicious burning. “We pray for the three individuals that were hurt and seriously injured in this event, we pray for their health,” said Ford. Still no official conclusion this was motivated by hateĬouncil member Ramos says 4 fires intentionally set-the townhomes, Pride flag and a car and dumpster across Greenmount /6330iAkupO Update: 2 victims have now been released from the hospital the third victim upgraded to stable. The woman and one man were released Wednesday afternoon from the hospital, but one man remains hospitalized in stable condition. A 30-year-old woman and 57-year-old man were hospitalized in critical condition, and a 74-year-old man is in serious condition, Ford said. Three victims were taken to Shock Trauma for treatment. He said the fire was contained by shortly before 5 a.m. in the 300 block of East 31st Street and the first unit arrived within seven minutes, Fire Chief Niles Ford said. “Regardless, I continue to stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ community.” “y agencies will bring every appropriate resource to bear to get to the bottom of this tragic event,” he said.
In an afternoon news release, Mayor Brandon Scott said it is too early to determine if the incident was a hate crime. “This is an ongoing investigation to determine facts, to determine the cause, and right now, we’re not prepared or equipped to determine cause or the facts of how it started,” he said. They said a home across the street with Pride decor was then set on fire, injuring three people.ĭuring a news briefing, Police Commissioner Michael Harrison would only say the cause of the fire is still being investigated after it was initially reported police were looking into the incident as a possible hate crime. The first was a home where a Pride flag was set on fire, police said. READ MORE: Man Killed In South Baltimore Shooting 31st Street was started when at least one Pride flag was set on fire, authorities now say there were two separate incidents on the same street in Abell.
While a Baltimore Police spokesperson initially said investigators believed the fire that damaged four homes in the 300 block of E. "We have a lot of people that are part of the LGBTQ community, and it's hard to see other people's property being destroyed for having different beliefs from someone else's," said Benson.BALTIMORE (WJZ) - A Wednesday morning fire in Baltimore sent three people to the hospital, authorities said, but two of those victims have since been released. She says they don't see many possible hate crimes in Kaysville. "So, this is going to be investigated as a hate crime."īenson says the note had several Bible scriptures condemning the LGBTQ community, as well as other derogatory terms. "With the note that was left behind, it was very clear that there was some discrimination going on for the LGBTQ community," said Kaysville officer Lexi Benson. Pride flag burning turns into possible hate crime
It was originally a simple criminal mischief call for responding officers but things quickly changed. Thursday to reports of the flag being cut from a homeowner's flagpole and set on fire in the street.
Kaysville police were called to a home on the west side of the city around 4:45 a.m. KAYSVILLE - On the second day of Pride Month, police are investigating a possible hate crime after a rainbow pride flag supporting the LGBTQ community was burned and a derogatory note left behind. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use.