SALISBURY, Md. - A 14-year-old boy died after being shot in Salisbury early Wednesday morning. He was identified by police Wednesday afternoon as Xavier Maddox of Salisbury.
Sheriff Mike Lewes said on Wednesday that he believes the shooting involved gang members and that more than one gunman was involved. Lewes said a second shooting in the area could be related.
According to the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, Maddox was shot shortly after midnight along with six others during a block party on Chippewa Boulevard near Kiowa Avenue. The boy was taken to TidalHealth where he died. Police say the six others involved in the shooting were also treated at TidalHealth for non-life-threatening injuries, though TidalHealth says two patients remain in critical condition.
Viola Woolford heard the noise when it erupted form the late night block party.
"I was thinking it was firecrackers and I didn't really and sometimes you can't tell the difference between firecrackers and gunshots," Woolford says.
As of 2:45 p.m., police have said they cannot release suspect information yet.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore issued a statement about the shooting that took place in Salisbury in which he also referred to another mass shooting that took place in Baltimore over the weekend.
"These incidents show that this scrounge of gun violence is not something that any one community or any one group is wrestling with," he said. "Whether you live in a big city or a small rural town, these tragedies impact all of us- the families who are no longer whole during holidays, the parents who don't get to see their kids graduate, the siblings who lose their best friend."
This shooting is under investigation. Police ask that those with information about the incident to contact the criminal investigation division at 410-548-4890.
