The manager of a popular Little Italy restaurant was shot and killed in fells point overnight Sunday.

44-year old Chesley Patterson worked at La Scala ristorante for 17 years. The owner says criminals are running free and he is frustrated.

He is not the only one.

"The reaction is just absolute dispair, sadness for the family, for everyone this man touched in their lives. The senseless violence that plagues our city, not just our neighborhood, needs to stop," said Claudia Towles, a former business owner who is now running for Baltimore City Council. "Policies have consequences. Lack of prosecution has consequences. We have encouraged folks to do this kind of horrible acts because they know they can get away with it. They know the accountability is short, if not non-existent."

Towles said city leaders, including City Councilman Zeke Cohen, who represents Fells Point, is at least partially to blame.

"It comes back to what kind of policies, what kind of rhetoric politicians are putting out there and those in leadership," said Towles. "If we're saying that we're not going to be prosecuting, if there's no transparency around prosecuting, if there's no arrests, if cops are not allowed to do their job, then we see the consequences every day."

Towles says crime affects the perception of areas like Fells Point, which can then start to lose out on customers.

"As business owners we see the consequences with folks not wanting to come down to Baltimore City to enjoy these amenities that we have here," said Towles.