Deputies shot man in Frederick after he stabbed parents, investigative report says

BALTIMORE -- The Maryland Attorney General's Office on Wednesday released investigative reports detailing a fatal police shooting that took place last year.

On November 29, 2022, deputies shot and killed an armed man in Frederick after he stabbed his parents, killing his father, according to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office. 

The deputies responded at 2:12 a.m. to the 5800 block of Haller Place after the suspect's sister reported the attack on her parents, Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said. 

Upon arrival, deputies found the mother stabbed inside the home and the father stabbed outside, down the street from the home. 

"Basically saying there was a stabbing and that her brother was attacking her parents," Sheriff Jenkins said.    

The Maryland Attorney General Office Independent Investigations Division, tasked with investigating all deaths at the hands of Maryland law enforcement officers, said as officers were treating the victims, police told the suspect to put "drop the knife."

One officer then fired a less-lethal beanbag shotgun round at the suspect.

The IID said the suspect then rapidly moved toward officers before multiple officers deployed their taser and three deputies fired their guns, striking the man, who died at the scene. 

"Shots fired! Shots fired!" officers said on scanner traffic.

"A lot of moving parts here and it's all happening very quickly," said Thomas Lester, from the State Attorney General's Office IID.

The events leading up to the shooting remain unclear. Jenkins said the suspect was an adult man, but his age has not been disclosed. 

The father was transported to an area hospital, where he died. The mother was flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore, where she is in stable condition. Jenkins said her injuries were found to be "superficial." 

Jenkins described "a very large crime scene" and "a pretty horrific crime scene" that began on the second floor of the house, down to the first floor, and then outside.  

The suspect's sister was uninjured. Jenkins said there were no previous calls for service to that house. 

The IID will conduct an investigation into the three deputies' actions. 

Lester said some portion of the shooting was caught on body-worn camera. That footage is typically released within two weeks. 

The IID will compile a report on its investigation and hand it over to the Frederick County State Attorney's Office, which will make the decision of whether or not to pursue charges in the shooting.  

This is a developing story and will be updated.