Overview
- Police arrested 51-year-old Antoine Burton shortly after a Sunday shooting on the 4400 block of Park Heights Avenue and charged him with attempted first-degree murder and multiple handgun violations.
- Mayor Brandon Scott called Burton's alleged actions "a disgrace," said the case violated public trust in frontline workers, and urged that the incident not be used to undermine the Safe Streets program.
- Reporting shows Burton is president of the charity We Our Us, whose 2024 tax filings list more than $1.2 million in government grants and have prompted scrutiny of how grant-funded groups are vetted and overseen.
- Burton is in custody and the criminal case is moving through booking and initial processing while city officials say they will conduct legal and administrative reviews into the incident and staff conduct.
- Safe Streets began in 2007 as a city violence-intervention program that uses outreach workers and violence interrupters to mediate conflicts, and officials warn that an arrest of a front-line worker risks damaging the community credibility the program relies on.