The shootings in Owings Mills and Parkville have Olszewski cautiously on alert

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — Baltimore County has seen a spike in shootings this year, including two in the past week.

FOX 45 said Friday’s homicide in Owings Mills was the ninth of the year for the county. That’s more than double the total at this point in 2023, FOX 45 reported.

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“I want residents to know that we take these incidents very seriously,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski told FOX 45, noting that overall crime statistics remain low compared to comparable jurisdictions. “Chief (Robert) McCullough and the police department do an outstanding job in locating, apprehending and subsequently prosecuting these individuals through District Attorney (Scott) Shellenberger.”

Baltimore County police said 38-year-old Rodney L. Scott Jr. was fatally shot Friday night in Owings Mills.

Officers said they found Scott dead outside in the 4700 block of Winterset Way around 5:28 p.m. This is located in the park of Winterest Apartment Homes.

Hours later, authorities said they heard reports of a shooting in Parkville in the 1800 block of Taylor Avenue. This is a busy street lined with several businesses and a few single-family homes.

Police said they were at the scene at 1:37 a.m. Saturday but were unable to find a victim.

Officials said a man was taken to an undisclosed hospital shortly afterward with one person injured in the shooting on Taylor Avenue.

Authorities have not made any arrests or identified any suspects.

Patch asked police if the shootings were related. We have not received a response yet. We will update this story if they respond.

The county executive said he would do everything he could to fight crime and support law enforcement.

“We actually believe we’re doing a good job in Baltimore County supporting our officers with things like take-home (cars) and technology that we’re investing in our counties,” Olszewski told FOX 45. “We’ll continue to do that “Whatever it is.” “Public safety is one of the most important responsibilities we have in local government.”

Baltimore County police have asked anyone with information about either shooting to call 410-307-2020. Callers can remain anonymous. Tipsters can also submit information through the county’s iWATCH program at iwatch.baltimorecountymd.gov.

The independent investigators “Metro Crime Stoppers” also collect anonymous tips and pass them on to the police.

Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland is offering a cash reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to a felony arrest.

Informants can contact Metro Crime Stoppers anonymously by:

• Visit metrocrimestoppers.org
• Call (1-866-756-2587)
• Text CRIMES (274637), then enter the message beginning with “MCS.”

Watch Olszewski’s full interview on FOX 45.