Jurors in David Linthicum trial see video of two Baltimore County officers shot while on duty
BALTIMORE -- Jurors in a high-profile trial saw disturbing body-worn camera video on Tuesday, showing the moments last year when two Baltimore County police officers were shot in separate incidents just days apart.
The defendant, David Linthicum, is fighting attempted murder charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life.
Linthicum's defense alleged police were overly aggressive and failed in their response to the defendant's mental health crisis.
Jurors were told to be back in court at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday for more testimony.
Father's emotional testimony
John Linthicum, David's father, had no comment to WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren outside court after breaking down in tears earlier on the witness stand, testifying about the incident in February 2023 that tore his family apart.
As David Linthicum's trial began, jurors heard how it all started. Linthicum's dad called 911, and said, "I need police. I have a son who's being suicidal. He has a gun."
Linthicum's father testified he called 911 "to get some help, ease the situation, not escalate it, not make things worse."
Jurors see video of shooting
The jury saw the chilling moment as Linthicum opened fire with an AR-15 rifle inside the basement bedroom of his home in Cockeysville.
In that video, Linthicum's father entered the room. The officers were behind him in the hallway, and he said, "You're going to shoot me."
His son fired 16 rounds, sending officers fleeing outside. Officer Barry Jordan was shot three times.
Then, Linthicum escaped.
The next day, Detective Jonathan Chih spotted Linthicum walking on Warren Road, turned on his lights, and got out of his police truck.
Linthicum asked if he was "trying to kill him" before immediately opening fire with 14 shots. The officer screamed, "I'm shot. I'm shot." While Linthicum took off in his truck, Chih was left fighting for his life on the ground.
The AR-15 had 30 bullets. All were used between both shootings.
"He used every single bullet available to him to try to take the life of Detective Jonathan Chih," prosecutor John Cox told the jury.
Defense blames police response
The defense blamed the police for a failed response to a mental health emergency.
Public defender Deborah Katz Levi described her client as "a deeply sad, troubled person. He had a fight with his dad that day. He wanted to die."
She said he had suffered from mental health issues since the age of 12.
"David was running scared. He was shooting scared," Levi told jurors.
Levi told the jury the officers' initial response "agitated the situation."
"They made it worse, and they were wrong. Everyone should be held accountable," she said in her opening statement.
Levi put forward a motion to cover up the police memorial outside the courthouse. The judge denied it.
Levi claimed the prosecution and the judge are biased toward the police and Linthicum cannot get a fair trial. She asked the judge to recuse himself ahead of opening statements, but he decided he will stay on the case.
Transparency concerns
The Office of the Public Defender raised concerns about some proceedings, including individual juror questions during the selection process and motions hearings being held in secret outside of the public and media's view.
They issued the following statement to WJZ:
"The Sixth Amendment grants individuals facing criminal charges the right to a public trial. Denying the public access to trial proceedings is a violation of this constitutional mandate to which limited exceptions exist. Public access to trial ensures the integrity of the criminal legal system and is important to everyone - the accused, victims, family members for both sides, and all others interested in seeing the legal system at work. Justice must be fair and transparent."
Officer testifies about being shot
Officer Barry Jordan, the first officer who was shot, was the final witness on Tuesday.
The 28-year veteran of Baltimore County police testified about the moment he was wounded.
"The wall started coming apart in front of me," Officer Jordan told the jury.
He said he and his partner immediately left the basement. "There was no time to do anything else," Jordan testified.
He was not certain at first that he was wounded.
Jurors were shown his bloody uniform with holes from the incident. The defense questioned whether it was a bullet or shrapnel from the home's wall or HVAC system that entered his body.
Linthicum's former girlfriend Amanda Darby also testified. She told the jury there were usually three guns in Linthicum's room. Prosecutors questioned her about his views on police.
"He said he didn't like them. He hated police," she testified.
The defense objected to that line of questioning.
