A high school senior just a few weeks short of graduation and, by all accounts, a “part of the future,” ready to attend a private college in North Carolina, was shot in the head as he sat in a minivan on the west side of Baltimore around 6 PM today. He was subsequently pronounced dead, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Michael Mayfield, 17, played baritone in the band at Edmondson-Westside High School in Baltimore and pitcher on the school’s baseball team. His Junior ROTC advisor recommended him for an after-school activity, the Inner Harbor Project, which tries to make the Inner Harbor safe and inclusive for teens. The Sun quoted Celia Neustadt, the program’s director, as saying, “Right off the bat, we knew we wanted him to be in the project. He had such a positive attitude.”
Police have not announced a motive or any arrests in the shooting, and Michael’s friends seem puzzled as to what the motive or who the killer might be. “He was a positive role model,” one friend was quoted as saying. “He was a real figure you could look up to and say, ‘Someone I know is trying to make it and doing positive things in life.'”
Our thoughts and prayers are with Michael’s family and friends. Some reports suggest the shooting may have been random and not targeted toward Michael, though we note that this is pure speculation.
Baltimore City Police are said to be looking for a black man who was wearing a blue sweatshirt, jeans and tennis shoes, according to WBAL-TV (NBC affiliate). If you have any information, they would like you to call them at (410) 396-2100.