In the midst of a violent year for Baltimore, a 20-year-old African-American man named Andre Germaine Jr. Clark was shot and killed on October 15, 2015. The incident occurred in the 2000 block of North Bentalou Street, adding another statistic to a year that saw the city's homicide count rise to over 300. This wave of violence was unfolding in the wake of civil unrest that had gripped the city earlier in the year.
Known to his loved ones by a variety of nicknames including 'Little Arnie' and 'Monk-Monk,' Andre was born on November 5, 1994. He was a graduate of South Side Academy and had been employed with Standard Auto since 2012. He had a passion for football, having played for the Cherry Hill Eagles and Chargers in a little league. His life was remembered by a loving family, including his mother, father, a sister, and three brothers.
The broader context of Andre's death was a city struggling with a breakdown of trust between the community and law enforcement, which contributed to the significant increase in violent crime. Despite the circumstances of his death being part of a wider public safety crisis, there has been little publicly available information regarding any suspects or arrests in connection with his murder. His case, like many others from that period in Baltimore, remains unsolved, leaving a family to mourn and a community to grapple with the pervasive issue of gun violence.
