Baltimore DPW employee shot and killed outside home

A Baltimore Department of Public Works employee was fatally shot Thursday morning while loading his kids into a car outside his Northeast Baltimore home, according to officials and neighbors.

Jake Rogers was shot dead in the city’s Waltherson neighborhood, according to a Baltimore police reward flier. He was an employee of the Department of Public Works’ Solid Waste Bureau, according to a public works spokesman and a 2021 city salary database.

Neighbors said Rogers was getting his three young children into a minivan when a gunman walked directly up to him and shot him multiple times.

Tracy Stover, who lives nearby, said he heard a “pop” followed by four more shots. Then there was screaming from the three children.

Stover said his wife had just come inside after working in the couple’s front yard and she called police. She then ran over to the minivan where the oldest child, a girl, had closed the door. Stover’s wife brought the children back to the couple’s home until their family arrived.

He said the eldest child called her mother and she came to pick the children up.

Officers were called at 8:20 a.m. Thursday to the 4800 block of Holder Ave., where they found Rogers in the front yard of a home, Baltimore Police said.

Rogers was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, police said

Another neighbor, Earl Addicks, said he and his wife were in their kitchen and heard five shots.

He said he later watched surveillance video from a neighbor that showed a man in all dark clothing run from across the street toward Roger’s driveway, walk up to Rogers, and shoot him before running away.

Police have not yet released any information on possible suspects. Officials are offering a $4,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Butch Arnold, another neighbor, said he has lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years. He said Rogers and his brother moved into the home earlier this year. He said he often saw the kids playing on a new swing set in the backyard or riding on electric toy cars.

“He was always courteous and always polite,” Arnold said of Rogers.

On Friday, a marked police car was parked on the street outside Rogers’ home. Police officers left fliers announcing the reward tucked into doors of homes along Holder Avenue. A homicide detective also walked through the neighborhood, stopping at one home to return security camera equipment that might have captured the shooter.

Addicks said the narrow street with leafy yards is mostly quiet.

“It’s basically a quiet, nice neighborhood,” he said.

Addicks said he thinks the mayor needs to do more to address the city’s violence. Rogers’ killing is the city’s 320th this year. There were 310 homicides at the same time last year.

“He’s got a great long-term plan,” Addicks said of Mayor Brandon Scott’s crime plan.

But he said Scott and the State’s Attorney’s Office aren’t doing enough to address those committing crimes now.

Another man was shot Thursday evening, but police have little information as to what happened.

The department said officers from the Southern District were called to a nearby hospital at around 7:14 p.m. for a report of a walk-in shooting victim and found a 19-yearold being treated for a nonfatal gunshot wound.

Police said the man was uncooperative when questioned by investigators and that it’s not known where in the city he was shot.

Anyone with information is asked to call 410-396-2499 or leave tips anonymously at 1-866-756-2587.

Also on Thursday, police announced the arrest of 37-year-old Derrick Creek in an Oct. 30 homicide. Police said Creek shot and killed 46-year-old Johns Wilford Jr. in the 1000 block of Hillman St. in East Baltimore.

Police did not provide a motive in the killing. Creek did not have an attorney listed in online court records.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 410-396-2100 or call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7lockup.