A counselor at a group home in Randallstown for abused and neglected youngsters was shot early yesterday while checking a noise at a door of the house, Baltimore County police said.
The 46-year-old man was shot shortly after 4:30 a.m., Baltimore County police spokesman Cpl. Michael Hill said. He was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in serious condition, and was expected to live, Hill said.
Three boys between the ages of 15 and 18 were at the home, in the 3700 block of Offutt Road, at the time of the shooting, police said. A fourth was staying with relatives on an authorized visit, Hill said.
"Right now we don't suspect anyone that lives at the home, but we're not ruling it out," Hill said, adding that police were pursuing leads that do not point to any of the home's residents.
Police do not have a motive or suspect in the shooting, Hill said.
The group home is one of four owned by Franklin Ajanaku, who calls his company Franklin Group Homes, state records show.
The home on Offutt Road has been in operation for about 10 years, said Norris West, a spokesman for the state Department of Human Resources, which regulates group homes.
Police have been called to the house "many" times this year because boys have run away, Hill said, adding that they have received two or three calls about disturbances at the house.
Neighbors interviewed yesterday said they had no significant complaints about the home. West said that his office has only investigated minor complaints, such as trash in the backyard, at group homes owned by Ajanaku's company.
A person who answered the phone number listed for the company declined to comment. A man and woman at the home identified themselves as employees but declined to comment.
"We're not giving any statements," the woman said.
In 2005, a series of articles in The Sun examined problems in the state's group homes. The articles reported that state regulators failed to properly monitor group homes, and that many companies employed unqualified or poorly trained workers, including some with criminal records. The next year, the General Assembly passed legislation to strengthen oversight of group homes and establish strict performance standards.
State Sen. Delores G. Kelley, a Baltimore County Democrat, said she was told by Department of Human Resources Secretary Brenda Donald two weeks ago that the state was working on a plan to reduce the heavy concentration of group homes in northwestern Baltimore County.
"We've got an absolute commitment from the state not to send more to our area," Kelley said.
Ella White Campbell, a community organizer, said many residents in her Randallstown community, which has a high concentration of group homes, are still concerned about crime associated with the homes.
At a community meeting last year, she recalled residents complaining about daily "melees" outside group homes. She has urged neighbors to keep a log of such events and report them to the authorities.
According to police, the counselor at the Offutt Road group home was investigating a noise when he was shot once in the torso.
"This guy apparently heard something at the door, a knock at the door, and goes to check on it," Hill said.
Hill said a female employee of the group homes called police from the house to report a shooting about 4:45 a.m.
Authorities wanted to have a better understanding of the motive for the shooting before releasing the victim's name, the police spokesman said.
According to West, the Department of Human Resources spokesman, the victim was the only counselor with the boys at the time of the shooting. Given that only three boys were present, having one counselor is "pretty standard," he said.
A window on the side door of the two-story home was shattered. A large hole in the glass could be seen yesterday afternoon.
A mesh screen had been ripped out of an outer door and a white square of cloth, about the size of a handkerchief, hung from the door frame. Broken glass sparkled on the concrete porch.
West said that he had not spoken with individual caseworkers assigned to the boys and did not know if they received counseling yesterday. He also did not know whether the boys were originally from Baltimore County or another jurisdiction in Maryland.
The boys who were living at the house were placed in other homes owned by Ajanaku after the shooting, West said.
"The main thing is that our children are safe," he said.
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