7-year-old girl shot at Mondawmin Mall is on ‘road to recovery,’ family spokesman says

The 7-year-old girl struck by gunfire at Mondawmin Mall earlier this month is on the “road to recovery” after undergoing multiple surgeries, a spokesman for her family said Monday.

The girl’s family, through former prosecutor and Democratic mayoral candidate Thiru Vignarajah, thanked community members for their outpouring of support and urged police and prosecutors to continue their work to bring the perpetrator to justice.

“In this city, even the most profound headlines can be replaced and supplanted by the tragedy of the next day,” said Vignarajah, adding later that it’s important that the public doesn’t “lose sight” of the fact that a “beautiful little girl” is still recovering.

The girl’s mother and aunt attended the press conference in medical masks. They were not identified due to safety concerns.

Vignarajah said they may come forward in the future, sharing on their behalf that the girl’s favorite colors are pink and purple and that the family often visited Mondawmin Mall. She was shot twice, and suffered gunshot wounds in her hand and her abdomen, Vignarajah said.

Baltimore Police said the day of the April 13 shooting that two groups had an altercation inside the mall and someone fired a gun into a crowd while running away, unintentionally striking the girl.

No arrests have been announced in the roughly two weeks since.

Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland is offering a reward of $4,000 for tips leading to an arrest and have publicized a photo showing three people who police are seeking to identify.

Vignarajah referred questions about the police investigation to detectives, saying the family hopes they “continue that important work.”

Baltimore Police confirmed Monday that the girl is now in stable condition and said the photos in the Metro Crime Stoppers flyer were the most recent images they had to share. Detective Niki Fennoy, a police spokeswoman, said Monday she couldn’t say whether police had identified any suspects in the girl’s shooting.

Vignarajah said Monday that he was acting as the family’s spokesman “pro bono.” A pastor for one of the family members reached out to him, he said, because the pastor believed it was important for the family’s voice to be heard.

Vignarajah has represented other high-profile victims of crime, including the family of Timothy Reynolds, who was shot to death by a squeegee worker at a downtown intersection in 2022, and Deanta Dorsey, shot and killed last year at Edmondson Village Shopping Center across from his high school.

He also is running for mayor as a Democrat, his fourth race for a citywide office in six years. He previously ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2020 and twice sought the Democratic nomination for state’s attorney. In his most recent campaign, he was publicly accused of being a cruel boss who punished subordinates for perceived disloyalty, even as others praised his resume and intelligence.

From a downtown office where he now works as managing partner of national employment and civil rights law firm Sanford Heisler Sharp, Vignarajah lamented the “horrific” shooting earlier this month of the 7-year-old girl.

He called it “as clear an illustration” as any in Baltimore’s history of bystanders being “caught in the crossfire.” The family intended to spend their Saturday afternoon at the mall, a place that’s “supposed to be safe,” only for it to be “shattered by gunfire,” he said.

“That is horrific on any day. It is particularly horrific on a Saturday at the mall,” he said. “Mom was out, shopping with her two kids, one a middle schooler, the other the 7-year-old elementary school girl.”

He did not provide an anticipated date for the girl’s release from the hospital, but said she was now smiling and walking, which is what “everyone has been praying for.”

“I’ve met her once,” Vignarajah said. “She is beautiful and delightful, and has a gorgeous smile, and is fighting.”