Police: Baltimore Detective Dead After Being Shot In The Head, Suspect Still At Large
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A 43-year-old Baltimore Police detective has died after being shot in the head in west Baltimore Wednesday night.
Detective Sean Suiter, a former Navy officer, was pronounced dead at noon Thursday, according to Shock Trauma doctors.
They spoke at a press conference along with Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis and Mayor Catherine Pugh.
Suiter was a father of five, an 18-year veteran of the force and "a loved guy," according to Davis.
The shooting happened on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. on the 900 Block of Bennett Place while the detective was investigating a 2016 murder in the neighborhood with a partner.
Davis says the shooting happened in a vacant space between two row homes on the street. That area is still a very active crime scene, Davis says.
When Suiter approached a suspicious man, the man opened fire, police say. It is unknown if they exchanged words.
The officer was taken to Shock Trauma, where he was on full life support Wednesday night. He was pronounced dead Thursday at noon.
There was a $69,000 reward for information that leads to the shooter's arrest, that has been increased to $169,000 with Gov. Larry Hogan announcing the State is offering $100,000 to go along with the previous reward amount.
"We will find the person responsible for this ridiculous, absurd, unnecessary loss of life," Davis said. "The shooter knows what he did and he knows who he did it to... $69,000 is the reward that is being offered to anyone with information that can help us solve this case. It shouldn't take 69 cents. We are absolutely certain that the community will step up again and stand with the Baltimore Police Department to bring this heartless, ruthless, soulless killer to justice."
Davis urged the shooter to turn himself in, and anyone who might know him to come forward.
"He may be wounded," Davis says. "There's evidence that's available to us right now that suggests that the suspect may have been wounded and we're very interested in knowing if anyone, family, friends, we're obviously searching emergency rooms and doctor's offices, anyone who has an unexplained injury, we want those folks to pick up the phone as well and describe that to us. Anything can help."
Pugh reiterated her sentiments from a Wednesday night press conference at Thursday's conference.
She asked people to pray for Suiter's wife, his children, and the city.
"Violence in this city is out of control and I think [City Council President] Jack Young said it best last night, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. We need to stop the violence."
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