A funeral, a melee and gunfire: Neighbors recount chaos outside Baltimore church

A memorial service in Overlea on Saturday ended in a heated quarrel that erupted into gunfire and left one person shot.

The funeral at Open Bible Church ended just before 1:45 p.m., when a large group of people poured out onto the steps of the front entrance on the 3200 block of West Overlea Avenue.

Within minutes, the event spiraled into chaos, with dozens of people yelling on the church steps as gunshots cut through the air. Baltimore Police said officers found a 25-year-old man who had been shot and medics took him to a hospital.

The man’s condition and what led to the mayhem are unclear. Authorities’ investigation is ongoing.

Kevin English, pastor of Open Bible Church, said the service was not run through his organization. The hall of worship was rented to a family for the funeral. He was not there at the time of the shooting but arrived shortly after to find out what happened.

Neighbors recounted being drawn outside by what they described as a commotion.

Steve Stout said he stepped onto his porch when he saw what felt like 100 people congregating on the street yelling before they started pushing one another.

“Then we hear pop, pop, pop,” he said. “It sounded like gunshots.”

Seconds later, he said, a woman in distress walked briskly past hollering that she had just seen a man get shot.

Video footage from cameras in the neighborhood showed how the situation devolved within minutes. Once gunfire erupted, several people were seen running to the corner to aid the victim.

Some stuck around, pacing in a panic, while others ran away from the scene, cutting through nearby yards.

Timothy Scruggs, who lives across from the church, was in his driveway changing the oil in his pickup truck with his Shar Pei, Daisy, when the shots rang out. He called the dog inside and ran toward his backyard.

That’s when Scruggs said a man carrying a gun with what looked like an extended magazine on it came barreling toward him, trying to run through his yard.

“Get the f-- out of here. I’m not having any of this,” Scruggs said he yelled at the man before running inside to get his own pistol.

Footage that Scruggs shared with The Banner showed the moment when the man, holding what appears to be a gun in his right hand and wearing a light-colored shirt and dark pants, ran past his home toward the back of the church by Rosemont Avenue.

After police had taken control of the scene, some people slowly began to disperse while others stayed behind. Residents returning home from soccer games and errands arrived to taped-off streets and police moving up and down the area. Some weren’t immediately able to get back into their homes and had to go around the block to access them.

But by Sunday morning the neighborhood had returned to its normal quietness. The manic sounds of the previous day had been replaced with the hum of birds, ringing church bells and music from Open Bible Church.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Northeast District detectives at 410-396-2444 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.