ACLU Demands Full Investigation In Baltimore Police Involved Death

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland on Tuesday demanded a full, transparent investigation into the police-involved death of a northeast Baltimore resident.

Around 9:18 p.m. Sunday, police said a call came in for an assault and someone who was armed. The department said they helped two people get out of the house safely but one person still inside was potentially having a behavioral health crisis and armed with a weapon.

The department called in specialized teams that contacted that person, but about six hours after the initial call, the department said the person showed up at the door and fired their weapon.

Deputy Commissioner Sheree Briscoe said at that point, at least one officer opened fire, striking and killing the person.

"All camera footage available must be released to the public. And any officers engaged in misconduct must be held accountable," the ACLU tweeted.

The organization said Baltimore City and all other major jurisdictions should have fully funded mental health crisis teams that can be deployed to those in crisis, even when individuals are armed.

A mental health mobile crisis team did not respond to this call because a weapon was involved.

"The mobile crisis teams are not typically the ones that are first responders when there's a weapon involved. When there's a weapon involved, it would always necessitate the need to have the police involved. Our team is not typically the lead for that because simply of the heightened danger that is involved when there are weapons," said Adrienne Breidenstine with Behavioral Health System Baltimore.

"Again, we see time and again armed white people's lives being valued more by police and surviving even active shooter situations," the ACLU tweeted.

The victim in the shooting has not yet been identified.

In:
• Fatal Shooting
• Baltimore City