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CNN Live Today

Former Priest Shot and Wounded Outside Baltimore Home

Aired May 14, 2002 - 10:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I want to go back to the story out of Baltimore, Maryland, a former priest who was removed from the pulpit several years ago over a sexual relationship with a teenage boy was shot and wounded last night outside his home.

For the latest on what happened to Maurice Blackwell, I want to a reporter from our affiliate WBAL, and that is Jeff Pegus, who is covering the story.

Jeff, what can you tell us about this attack?

JEFF PEGUS, WBAL REPORTER: The community here in Baltimore is shocked and saddened by this attack. It happened yesterday about 6:00 in the evening.

Some people are calling this a drive-by shooting. The minister, the priest rather, been identified as father Marice Blackwell by police. He was shot in the upper body and shot in the right wrist.

Right now, we're told that he is in serious, but stable condition at a local hospital here.

No motive for this shooting at this time. No arrests have been made. You see the scene right here and these pictures. People in that community are shocked by it. They were surprised by it, of course. And the latest right now of course this priest, a Catholic priest, identified as father Maurice Blackwell is in serious, but stable condition.

We have no motive for the shooting at this hour, but we know this, and this is something that you mentioned, father Blackwell was removed as head of a local church in Baltimore after he admitted having a homosexual relationship with a teenaged boy in 1998 that occurred some 20 years before, so this is a priest who has been at the center of controversy once before, and now, he has been shot.

Again, though, we say as we give that you information, there is no motive for shooting at this point. Police are investigating. And again, no arrests either. That's the story from here in Baltimore.

KAGAN: So, Jeff, even though He was removed as the head from that one church, he still is an acting priest.

PEGUS: He's actually working for a program that's helping drug addicts here in Baltimore. It's called "One Church, One Addict." That is what he is doing right now. Back in 1998, he was removed as head of St. Edwards Church in Baltimore after those allegations came forward, and after he admitted to having that consensual homosexual relationship with a teenage boy.

KAGAN: And of course we have been giving so much coverage to what's been happening in the Boston area, but I would imagine that this story is a very big story in the Catholic community in Baltimore as well.

PEGUS: It certainly is, and ironically, it comes on a day today, at least this issue has come up, when the archdiocese here in Baltimore is holding a listening session.

Cardinal William Keeler was one of the a cardinal that went to Rome for the meeting at the Vatican with the pope. And today, he is having what he is calling a listening session, with priests from all around the area, trying to get their take on how this sex scandal is affecting priests locally here.

KAGAN: You mentioned that father Blackwell works with recovering drug addicts. Did that mean that he lives or could have been in kind of a rough part of town. The shooting -- as you say, you don't have the motive yet, but he could have been in a part of town that was a little rough anyway?

PEGUS: You know, it's hard to tell. He was in an area called Reservoir Hill. It's a nice area of Baltimore City. And at this point, officials don't know what might have been the motive for this attack, or why this priests a target. Again, there were some who were at the scene of the shooting who reported that this was a drive-by shooting. That is something, though, that police aren't confirming at this time.

KAGAN: All right, Jeff Pegus, from our affiliate, WBAL. Thank you very much.

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