BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore's mayor says it is not his administration's fault that the city is bracing to surpass 300 homicides for the fifth year in a row.
The Baltimore Sun reports that Democratic Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young said at a press conference Wednesday that he's "not committing the murders," asking "how can you fault the leadership?"
He instead emphasized that he's taking the problem seriously and said the city is working to reduce crime. Crime data shows Baltimore is at 296 homicides this year, quickly approaching the 300 threshold it has hit consistently since 2015.
Young took over as mayor this spring after Democrat Catherine Pugh resigned amid investigations into her business dealings.
He's running for reelection in 2020 against a dozen challengers, some of which criticized his comments on Wednesday.
