Howard County police kill suspect, no gun recovered

A Baltimore City man was killed by Howard County police after the man allegedly threatened to kill the officers. The man was killed instead, although no gun was found near the Baltimore City man. It seems as though somehow this situation went terribly wrong.

The 32-year-old man had an arrest warrant out on him. He had been charged with first and second-degree assault, weapons violations and reckless endangerment. The charges stem from a domestic violence incident involving the man, his ex-girlfriend and the couple’s child. Instead of arresting the 32-year-old, police ended up shooting him more than once. He was pronounced dead at the Howard County General Hospital.

The incident that led to the fatal shooting apparently began with a domestic violence call from the ex-girlfriend. She claimed that the 32-year-old broke into her apartment, assaulted her and threatened her with a gun. When she escaped in the morning she called police. In the meantime, the 32-year-old fled, taking with him the couple’s 2-year-old child.

A search ensued and the 32-year-old was found at a friend’s home. The police were allowed to enter the home, while the suspect took off out the back door. A confrontation took place outside in which police claim that the 32-year-old vowed to either kill or be killed and that he had a gun. The 32-year-old was shot by at least one officer, although he did not have a gun. The 2-year-old was unharmed.

If there is a lesson in this tale it may be that there are options other than suicide by cop. It was not reported whether the man had a criminal record or an attorney. He may have been able to pursue other options which could have saved his life and helped resolve the differences he had with his child’s mother.

Source: Explore Howard, “Baltimore City man fatally shot in Columbia after threatening police,” Luke Lavoie, Aug. 10, 2012

At our Baltimore criminal defense law office we represent individuals charged with domestic violence, assault or other violent crimes such as those described in this post.