A Baltimore man was arrested on Sunday in connection with the recent shooting of a 12-year-old girl who was found dead on the first floor of an East Baltimore Rowhome.
The shooting occurred on Friday night. Police quickly identified Omar Passmore, 28, as the suspect. According to charging documents, Passmore had a child with the victim’s mother.
Police believe Passmore was the only person inside the house with the victim, 12-year-old Breaunna Cormley, when she was killed.
The charging documents do not provide information about a possible motive, stating only that Passmore shot the victim “for unknown reasons.”
Police interviewed several witnesses and established a timeline of events. They reported that Breaunna was home alone when Passmore entered the house, and loud yelling could be heard.
Passmore was later seen sitting on the home’s front steps before fleeing the area on foot.
“This young lady had a whole life ahead of her, but a coward took her life,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said during a Friday night news conference. “It’s a kid. That’s all that matters. You’re talking about a 12-year-old girl.”
Officials released few details about the circumstances leading up to the shooting, but Police Commissioner Richard Worley confirmed it was a targeted attack.
“I can tell you it wasn’t accidental. It was not accidental. It was done on purpose,” he said.
Two days after the Friday night shooting, a 14-year-old boy was shot to death in West Baltimore. The victim, identified as Jasper Davis, prompted police to release photos of a suspect in that case on Monday morning.
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Gun violence in Baltimore has generally been trending downward since last year, resulting in significant decreases in homicides and nonfatal shootings. In 2023, the city recorded fewer than 300 homicides for the first time in nearly a decade. This positive trend continued throughout the first half of 2024, though the past several weeks have seen an uptick in violence.
