Baltimore community devastated over shooting death of 6-year-old elementary student

By Tara Lynch

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    BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A Baltimore community is devastated following the shooting death of a 6-year-old this past weekend.

Micah Comegys, a kindergartener at a Baltimore City school, was found dead from a gunshot wound inside a home on Vine Street in the Poppleton neighborhood on Saturday, May 3.

Police are still trying to figure out who pulled the trigger and why the boy was in that neighborhood.

A neighbor told WJZ that Micah lived in the St. Joseph’s neighborhood, which is nearly three miles from where he was found dead.

The neighbor said Micah was a funny child who attended kindergarten with her son. She remembers his big smile and his love for telling jokes.

“Everybody’s devastated,” said Brooklyn, the neighbor. “This was not something that was expected by any means. He reminded me of a little old man in a small body. He was very smart, you know? He just always had something funny to say. His mom absolutely loved that boy, and that boy loved his mother.”

Brooklyn said Micah was his mother’s only child, and isn’t sure why he was in the Poppleton neighborhood.

“I just know that where he was is not where he lived,” Brooklyn said.

Elementary school mourns student’s death Baltimore Police responded around 2:45 p.m. to the home in the 800 block of Vine Street.

When officers arrived, they found a gun and the body of the 6-year-old, who had a single gunshot wound. Police said no one else was inside the home when officers arrived, and one shot was fired from inside the home.

“I can tell you what we will find is that whoever owns the gun, if it wasn’t properly stored, they will be prosecuted to the best of our ability,” Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said.

Baltimore City Schools confirmed that Micah was a student at Mary E. Rodman Elementary School.

Brooklyn said she received a letter from the school saying that additional crisis services were on hand for students and staff as they cope with Micah’s death.

“It is with deep sadness that we inform you about the recent passing of one of our students,” the school said in the letter. “Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time. This death is sure to raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for the entire school, especially our students. The Baltimore City Public Schools’ Crisis Response Team is providing counseling and support to students and staff members.”

Anyone with information can call Baltimore City Police or report a tip anonymously through Metro Crime Stoppers at 866-7LockUp.

Poppleton community battles for resources The Poppleton Now Community Association is fighting for more resources for people in that community.

Sonia Eaddy, who has lived in the Poppleton section of the city her entire life, remembers bustling sidewalks with neighbors talking to each other, sharing meals together, and helping one another.

She accuses the city of displacing residents and eliminating the community.

Eaddy says it can feel like a forgotten neighborhood, and this tragedy underscores why the community needs support.

“Nobody’s looking at the need,” Eaddy said. “We just look at what happened. But if we can put these things in place… [to] satisfy that need, then a lot of these things that our youth are facing wouldn’t be here,” Eaddy said.

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