Republican nominee Jim Rutledge targeted Attorney General Anthony Brown as separate shootings across Baltimore City and County left multiple people dead or wounded.
BEL AIR, Md. — A series of shootings across the Baltimore region has become a flashpoint in Maryland’s attorney general race, with Republican nominee Jim Rutledge accusing Democratic incumbent Anthony Brown of failing to respond publicly to the violence.
Rutledge’s campaign initially cited four reported Baltimore County shootings between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, including a fatal attack outside a Towson apartment complex. Additional shootings were reported in Baltimore City on Friday and Sunday and in Baltimore County on Monday.
Police have not said the incidents are connected.
Towson Victim Identified as Tavaughn Hamlet Jr.
The fatal Baltimore County shooting occurred around 11:10 a.m. Sunday in the 8700 block of Mylander Lane in Towson.
The victim was identified as Tavaughn Hamlet Jr., 21. Police said Hamlet suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died after being transported to a hospital.
The shooting occurred outside an apartment complex on a residential street, leaving neighbors unsettled as homicide detectives began searching for evidence and witnesses.
The Towson homicide followed two other shootings highlighted in local coverage of the Baltimore County violence.
Around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, a 46-year-old man was wounded in the unit block of King James Circle in Gwynn Oak. His injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
Shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to the 1100 block of Ingleside Avenue near Catonsville. They found a 38-year-old man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
Rutledge’s campaign also cited a fourth Saturday shooting in the 6800 block of Liberty Road, where a man was reportedly wounded and taken to a hospital. Authorities released few details about that incident.
Another Baltimore County Victim Walks Into Hospital
Baltimore County Police opened another investigation Monday night after a shooting was reported in the 1100 block of Stamford Road.
Officers did not initially locate a victim at the scene. A person later arrived at a local hospital seeking treatment for a gunshot wound, according to police.
Authorities had not released the victim’s identity, condition or information about a possible suspect. The circumstances surrounding that shooting remained under investigation.
Transgender Woman Killed in Baltimore City
The regional violence extended beyond Baltimore County.
On Friday, Sept. 11, Baltimore Police officers responding to the 2300 block of Hunter Street in Charles Village found a transgender woman known as Sophie suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
She died at the scene before she could receive medical treatment.
Family members, friends and representatives from Baltimore Safe Haven later gathered for a vigil, remembering Sophie and calling for information that could help police identify her killer.
Authorities had not announced an arrest or publicly identified a motive. Police had also not classified the killing as a hate crime as of the latest available reports.
Woman Wounded on West Caton Avenue
Another shooting occurred around 12:18 a.m. Sunday in the 2700 block of West Caton Avenue in Southwest Baltimore.
Officers found a 43-year-old woman suffering from a gunshot wound. She was transported to a hospital with an injury described as non-life-threatening and remained in stable condition, according to a Baltimore Police Department incident advisory.
Police did not announce an arrest or release a suspect description.
Shore News Network previously reported additional details about the West Caton Avenue shooting.
Rutledge Targets Brown Over Violence
Rutledge focused his criticism on the Baltimore County shootings, arguing Brown should have publicly addressed the violence.
“A man was murdered on Mylander Lane in Towson on a Sunday morning,” Rutledge said. “Neighbors walking their dogs found crime-scene tape instead of a quiet street. And Maryland’s attorney general? Silent. Absent. Doing nothing.”
Rutledge described Brown’s alleged silence as part of a broader failure of leadership.
“Leadership requires showing up,” Rutledge said. “Anthony Brown didn’t show up this weekend. He hasn’t shown up for families living with this violence.”
The statements represent Rutledge’s campaign position. His release did not specify what direct role the attorney general should have taken in the local police investigations, and it did not include a response from Brown’s office.
Rutledge also accused Brown of concentrating on lawsuits involving the federal government and pursuing national political attention instead of emphasizing local violent crime.
Public Safety Takes Center Stage in Statewide Race
Rutledge and Brown won their respective uncontested primaries and will face each other in Maryland’s 2026 attorney general election.
The Maryland State Fraternal Order of Police has endorsed Rutledge, according to his campaign, citing his stated commitment to law enforcement and public safety.
“When I am attorney general, this office will fight crime at every level — illegal guns, gangs and the adults who recruit our kids into violence — and I will show up,” Rutledge said.
The campaign release did not provide detailed legislative or operational proposals for those initiatives.
The recent shootings come despite a longer-term decline in violence across Baltimore County. Shore News Network previously reported that county homicides fell from 55 in 2021 to 28 in 2025, while nonfatal shootings declined by more than 45%.
Investigations into the latest incidents remain active as the shootings intensify debate over Maryland, crime, politics, elections and public safety.