The mother of the Pasadena teen paralyzed after a shooting in Federal Hill said her daughter has shown signs of hope.
Cameran Holt, 19, was one of two people shot after an unknown suspect or suspects opened fire on or near W. Hamburg Street on Oct. 27.
FOX45 News obtained surveillance video that captured people running as nearly two dozen gunshots were fired.
One of those bullets hit Holt in the spine as she, her sister and a friend were attempting to leave the area in Holt’s car, said her mother, Roxanne Spath. Holt had a feeding tube inserted and a tracheostomy.
Spath shared with FOX45 News a picture of Holt’s dog visiting her in the hospital as she talked about her daughter’s progress, as well as frustrations about the violence.
“The first thing I said when she opened her eyes was you’re so pretty,” Spath said. “She said ‘mom, you’re so pretty.’ We just both cried.”
For the family this has been a roller coaster of emotions.
No arrests have been made in the case.
This past weekend a man came forward and told FOX45 News he heard two men arguing and then the sounds of gunshots.
“His friend tried to calm him down and take him for a walk but that didn’t matter because when he came back he walked by me and had an AR on him,” Scott Meyers said. “And then the other guys opened fire on him when he opened fire on them.”
Spath is frustrated by the violence, as well as the response from city leaders.
Last week FOX45 News sent the Mayor’s Office, as well as members of City Council’s Public Safety Committee a list of questions including
How disturbing do you find these surveillance videos?
Where’s the outrage from City leadership?
Why is this amount of gunfire happening in Baltimore?
How can leaders ensure the safety of the public with this amount of bullets flying indiscriminately throughout neighborhood streets and near businesses and homes?
As a city leader what are you doing in response to this issue?
The Mayor’s Office responded with a lengthy statement that reads,
“Of course these instances of gun violence outrage Mayor Scott the same way every instance of gun violence in the city outrages the Mayor. This is the issue that drove the Mayor into public service in the first place, and has been one of the defining issues that he has worked to tackle throughout his tenure.
“It is why The Mayor has directed BPD to focus on removing guns from the streets, which has resulted in 2,167 guns being seized so far this year alone. Those seizures are on top of 2,902 guns in 2023, 2,688 guns in 2022, and 2,319 in 2021. These weapons almost exclusively originate from outside of the city, with the majority coming from out of state.
“It is also why the Mayor has sought to tackle the issue of gun trafficking and the role gun manufacturers — particularly ghost gun manufacturers — play in driving violence in our city and across the country. As you know, he has pursued litigation against the ATF to confront the Tiahrt Amendment that prevents better access to trafficking information, and against multiple manufacturers and distributors like Polymer80 and Hanover Armory.
“All of this work, in addition to the extensive focus on community violence intervention, have helped drive some of the largest reductions in gun violence in the City’s history — with homicides dropped 20% in 2023, and currently dropping an additional 26.9% on top of that reduction this year. In addition, nonfatal shootings have been reduced 36% year to date this year.”
Spath said she’d like to see harsher penalties for offenders.
“Overall harsher punishment for those out here committing crimes and the things they’re doing,” Spath said. “I know Cameron isn’t the only victim, but this mom is strong. Rally together to make a change because I’m done. I’m pissed. This is not fair for anybody. It’s not fair to have such a beautiful city and have people afraid to come to it.”
“We are not numbers,” she said. “We are people with feelings, and we should come into the city or anywhere for that matter and feel safe. Not just like a number.”
A GoFundMe page has been started for the teen and her family
Anyone with any information on this case is asked to contact Baltimore Police at 410-396-2100, 410-396-2499 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.
Have a news tip? Contact Alexa Ashwell at aashwell@sbgtv.com or at x.com/AlexaAshwell.