Victim Who Died In Crash During Salisbury Police Chase Identified
SALISBURY, Md. (WJZ) -- The Maryland Attorney General's office identified the man who died last week after crashing his car during a police chase in Salisbury as 35-year-old Jamaal Parish Mitchell, an African-American resident of Salisbury.
The Independent Investigations Division of the Office of Attorney General also identified the two officers involved with the incident, Pfc. Christopher Denny of the Salisbury Police Department and Deputy David Munir of the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office.
Denny has been with the department for seven years and is assigned to the Road Patrol and K-9 Services. Munir has been with the sheriff's office for two years and is assigned to the Patrol Division.
According to initial reports, on Oct. 21 around 10 p.m., Denny reportedly noticed a car near the intersection of Delaware Ave. and West Salisbury Parkway that was swerving and didn't have its headlights on.
Denny tried to initiate a traffic stop, thinking the driver might be impaired, but Mitchell did not stop.
Mitchell then turned onto Queen Avenue and hit Munir's cruiser and then a second vehicle. The second collision caused Mitchell to lose control of the vehicle, hit a parked car and crash into a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Independent Investigations Division, a group tasked with investigating all citizen deaths involving police, is reviewing the incident with assistance from the Maryland State Police Crash Team, the Salisbury Police Department, and the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office.