Actor Chris Clanton from ‘The Wire’ survives Baltimore shooting, rips city’s crime problem

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Actor Chris Clanton is speaking out after recently surviving a shooting in Baltimore – the crime-plagued city where he appeared in "The Wire," a 2002-2008 TV series about the city’s drug trade and other urban ills.

A bullet pierced one of his ears and left fragments in his head, Clanton told Baltimore’s FOX 45 about the shooting, which happened around 7 p.m. last Thursday.

Clanton said he thought he was going to die. He said the impact from the shot knocked him up against a car.

"I’m p---ed. I’m p---ed because it’s uncalled for," Clanton said. "My son was not far from this incident. He was in the vicinity. Luckily, he didn’t see what happened."

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Clanton said he doesn’t believe he was the intended target of the gunfire. He added that a fast reaction from a police officer named Stewart, who quickly investigated, may have helped save his life.

Chris Clanton

On "The Wire," Clanton played a character named "Savino" in seasons 1 and 5 who ends up shot dead in season five, according to FOX 45.

The series reflected many of the grim realities of Baltimore, where 208 nonfatal shootings have occurred so far this year, compared to 188 last year, according to FOX 45.

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Last month, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, blasted a plan by Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, a Democrat, to slash the city’s police budget, calling the idea "reckless."

In 2020, Baltimore topped 300 homicides for a sixth consecutive year.

Clanton, a native of the area, told FOX 45 that Baltimore’s crime problems have left him frustrated.

"I’m from here, I love it," he told the station, adding later, "But something has to change."