The police commissioner has dropped the mic:
“This violence needs to stop.”
At 9:40 a.m., in broad daylight, two officers were shot at while sitting in their police vehicle.
Officers in civilian clothes were working with the Baltimore Police Department’s Warrant Apprehension Task Force and were surveilling a home when a man drove his vehicle up next to their unmarked vehicle and opened fire.
One of the officers was struck.
Police Commissioner Michael Harrison gave a statement on the incident during a press conference:
“The man, who has not yet been identified pulled alongside the officers’ unmarked car, facing in the opposite direction, got out from his the drivers’ side, and then opened fire into our officers’ surveillance vehicle, striking one of our officers in the upper thigh…and our officer returned fire while sitting inside of the vehicle, striking the suspect at least more than once.”
Officers on the scene gave medical aid to the shooter until emergency medical personnel arrive. The unidentified man died shortly after arriving at a local hospital. The wounded officer was hospitalized and is listed in good condition.
Commissioner Harrison had strong words about the shooting:
“I think the message is clear: this violence has to stop.
“But the members of our police department are proactive and were where they were supposed to be, doing what they were supposed to do – actually looking for a violent offender to arrest, and were attacked by a suspect who is now dead as a result of his actions.”
Baltimore officers have been under fire frequently. Violent crime is on the rise, and numerous shootings with injuries and fatalities have plagued the city.
In June, an officer was shot when several officers responded to a disturbance surrounding a parking lot party.
Officers were attempting to disperse a large crowd in a parking lot. They received several calls about the gathering just after 3 a.m. and observed a sport utility vehicle speeding into the parking lot. The officers confronted the driver of the SUV and discovered he was armed.
The officer was shot once in his mid-section during a struggle to arrest the man.
The Fraternal Order of Police reported that the officer underwent surgery and was listed in stable condition.
Commissioner Harrison held a press conference reporting they had a suspect in custody:
“Even though our officer was shot – the two of them were still able to subdue this subject and take him into custody.
“During very tough tumultuous times, in spite of all that’s going on everywhere in the country, the members of the Baltimore Police Department, continue to serve and continue to protect and continue to do what is necessary to keep the people of Baltimore safe.”
Mayor Jack Brown urged citizens to put guns down and handle differences some other way. Harrison responded more directly, indicating that his department will continue to address “the culture of violence” in Baltimore:
“The shooting is an actual disregard for human life and disregard for authority and disregard for law enforcement — the actual people who are out there working to keep people safe.
“The decision to pull the trigger is not made when the trigger is pulled, it’s made when a person walks out of the door with a gun, so it is about the illegal carrying of guns and the willingness to use those guns, even against law enforcement.
“So it has to be about those violent offenders, who we are working very hard to get off the street and keep off of the streets of Baltimore…”