VIDEO: Baltimore Safe Streets Worker Charged After Park Heights Gas Station Shooting

A Baltimore man whose job was supposed to help stop violence in the city’s neighborhoods is now facing allegations that he carried out a shooting himself.

Fifty-one-year-old Antoine Burton, an employee with Baltimore’s Safe Streets violence intervention program, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and multiple firearms offenses following a nonfatal shooting in the Park Heights community.

According to Baltimore Police, officers were patrolling the area around 7:25 p.m. on Sunday, June 7, when they heard gunfire erupt near the 4400 block of Park Heights Avenue. Responding officers quickly located a 40-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a nearby hospital and survived the attack.

Investigators say Burton was arrested a short time later in the 2400 block of Loyola Northway. Authorities allege the shooting happened outside a Sunoco gas station on Park Heights Avenue, and surveillance video captured the incident. According to court records, the footage appears to show a man exiting the convenience store before another individual follows behind, pulls out a handgun, and fires multiple shots before walking back toward the store.

Police say detectives identified Burton through surveillance footage and information provided by a confidential informant. Charging documents state that officers later recovered a loaded 9mm handgun after locating Burton near his apartment building.

Investigators further allege that Burton waived his Miranda rights and admitted he had been involved in an altercation with the victim before the shooting. Detectives say Burton told them the firearm recovered by police was the same gun used during the attack and admitted he discarded the clothing he had been wearing afterward. A subsequent search warrant reportedly led investigators to recover clothing matching what was seen on surveillance footage.

Court documents also revealed additional allegations that the handgun had been reported stolen out of Martinsburg, West Virginia. Prosecutors say Burton is facing nearly a dozen charges, including attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, illegal possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of ammunition, and multiple handgun violations.

During a bail review hearing, a judge ordered Burton held without bond. Prosecutors pointed to his lengthy criminal history and active federal probation status as reasons he should remain in custody pending trial. Court records cited prior convictions that include robbery with a dangerous weapon, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, escape from confinement, drug distribution offenses, and a previous federal conviction involving illegal firearm possession.

The arrest sent shockwaves through Baltimore because Safe Streets workers are specifically hired to prevent retaliatory violence and mediate conflicts before they escalate into bloodshed. Burton had been working at the Safe Streets Belvedere site since March 2025. The Belvedere and Park Heights locations are operated through LifeBridge Health’s Center for Hope under the oversight of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott condemned the incident, calling Burton’s alleged actions “a disgrace” and saying the worker had violated the public trust placed in violence interrupters. The mayor stressed that the case should be viewed as an isolated incident and should not overshadow the work performed by other Safe Streets employees throughout the city.

LifeBridge Health confirmed Burton has been placed on leave without pay while the criminal case moves through the court system.

The case has renewed debate surrounding Baltimore’s Safe Streets program, which has long relied on hiring individuals with lived experience and past involvement in the criminal justice system to intervene in neighborhood conflicts. Supporters argue that approach allows workers to connect with people most at risk of violence, while critics question whether stronger safeguards and oversight are needed.

Burton remains in custody as prosecutors pursue the attempted murder case against him.