Independent Investigation Unit Launches Probe Into Towson Police-Involved Shooting
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Independent Investigations Division of the Office of the Maryland Attorney General has begun to investigate an officer-involved shooting that killed a man in Towson on Saturday.
Baltimore County Police officers initially responded to a report of "unknown trouble" in the 500 block of Virginia Avenue at 8:40 p.m., according to authorities.
When they arrived at the location, they heard gunshots coming from inside a building. The officers entered the building and proceeded to the apartment floor provided by the 911 caller, state officials said.
Once they reached that floor, officers identified the apartment where the unknown trouble was reported to have occurred and knocked on the door, according to authorities.
A man answered the door armed with a handgun. He allegedly pointed it at the officers, authorities said.
The man exchanged gunfire with three officers, injuring one of them, according to authorities. The shooter sustained fatal injuries during the exchange of bullets and was pronounced dead at the site of the shooting, state officials said.
The injured officer was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Officers found a woman inside the apartment suffering from gunshot wounds. She, too, was transported to a local hospital.
She is in critical condition, according to authorities.
The investigations unit said it typically expects to release the name of the person who was shot by the officer and the officers involved in the shooting within 48 hours of the incident.
However, that period may be extended if there is a reason to believe that an officer's safety is at risk, state officials said.
Baltimore County Police Chief Melissa Hyatt said during a press conference following the shooting that the officers involved had been wearing body-worn cameras during the incident.
She reviewed the video and described it as "an incredibly frightening incident."
"I could very easily be coming out here to talk about a very different outcome for our police officers," she said.
The officer "will certainly have a difficult road ahead in terms of recovery," Hyatt said.
The investigations unit intends to make public that body-camera footage. The unit typically makes the camera footage public within 14 days of an incident, according to authorities.
State officials noted that there may be situations that require the footage remain private for more than 14 days, particularly if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews or if family members need to view the video before it is released to the public.
Also, technical delays caused by the need to shield the identities of civilian witnesses could factor into the time the camera footage is made public.
Bystanders who watched police convene at the residential building said they knew immediately that something unusual was happening.
"He had his, like, gun pointed walking in. And I was like: that's not good," Devorah Roloff said.
WJZ learned on Sunday that the activities of the police officers who responded to the shooting on Virginia Avenue were caught on a home security camera set up by a neighborhood resident, known as Ellis.
Ellis said he did not know what was happening at first. He simply noticed unusual activity at the nearby intersection.
"People [were] going the wrong way on Pennsylvania Avenue or running the stop sign, almost hitting each other," he said.
A few minutes later, he said he heard gunshots.
Roloff, too, heard the sound of bullets flying through the air amid the flurry of police activity. She said the violence left her feeling distressed.
"It's upsetting because there's so many innocent people that are just going into these places to have fun and relax with friends and family, and it's, like, it makes you not want to go out," Roloff said.