Baltimore's latest cease-fire weekend ends with multiple shootings, 2 fatal

Multiple shootings occurred over the weekend in Baltimore, leaving four people injured and another two dead during what was supposed to be a cease-fire.

What's the background?

After decades of high crime rates, Maryland's largest city experienced riots and protests following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody in 2015. Arrest rates subsequently fell while crime spiked, fueling speculation that police were easing up their enforcement measures.

Baltimore has had more than 300 homicides annually for the past three years, topping out at 343 in 2017 — the most the city has ever seen.

Starting in May 2017, the organizers of Baltimore Ceasefire 365 began scheduling cease-fire weekends as part of a Baltimore Peace Challenge occurring every three months, in an effort to stop homicides in the city.

Organizer Erricka Bridgeford told WJZ-TV, "Baltimoreans put in this work all year round, every three months injecting love, injecting hope, injecting action into this city.

"When this first started some people laughed, they thought it was a crazy idea. People still laughing, some people are still laughing yeah, but it's okay. I think people are entitled to their hopelessness.

During the five 72-hour cease-fires attempted, a total of five people have been killed. But organizers are undeterred in their efforts, with Bridgeford telling WBAL-AM, "We don't let murder have the last say."

What is the group trying to do?

The Baltimore Ceasefire 365 website states the group's intentions, saying, "By agreeing to sacred weekends without murder, and by receiving the resources needed to help us avoid violent encounters, we all will eventually agree to honor the sacredness of EVERY day and put an end to murder."

This year, there have been 169 murders in the city, which is roughly 20 percent less than the same time last year.