Baltimore Police gunshot victim identified; court records show arrest history
BALTIMORE -- The Maryland Office of the Attorney General is continuing to investigate a deadly police shooting that happened on Wilkens Avenue in southwest Baltimore.
WJZ learned on Wednesday that the man who was shot and killed during a foot chase with officers is 27-year-old Hunter Jessup.
Police allege that Jessup pointed a gun at them, which prompted officers to fire their weapons and fatally injure him.
The Maryland Office of the Attorney General said that ballistics at Tuesday's scene indicate Jessup had fired his weapon during the altercation with officers.
"It sounded like they had a machine gun because multiple police officers were shooting at one time," Mill Hill neighborhood resident Robert Rader said.
WJZ has learned from court records that this isn't the first time Jessup has run from police.
WJZ obtained a photo of Jessup from his family.
Police were on patrol in the Mill Hill neighborhood when they stopped Jessup because they believed he was armed.
The interaction quickly turned deadly when police said Jessup ran from them and, at one point, pointed a gun in the direction of the officers.
That's when multiple officers shot at Jessup — killing him.
"Police said, 'Stop, stop, stop,' and he was just running, and they shot him like 20-some times," Rader said.
WJZ exclusively obtained cellphone video of the moments after the shooting while officers tried to render aid to the man as neighbors, like Rader, watched nearby.
"I came out of my house, and I seen him laying on the ground, and I see all the police running up, and I'm like, 'Call the ambulance,'" Rader said.
WJZ has learned this isn't the first run-in Jessup has had with police.
According to charging documents obtained by WJZ, in July of 2017, police tried to stop Jessup for minor traffic violations on Reisterstown Road. Jessup was 20 years old at that time.
The documents reveal when police stopped him, Jessup drove away at a very high rate of speed toward a group of teens on their bikes, hitting and injuring a 14-year-old.
Police said Jessup did not stop when he hit the teen and eventually struck another car.
When he was arrested, officers found drugs on him, according to court records.
The Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement was on Wilkens Avenue offering residents support on Wednesday.
"It's getting worse, but it's never been like that on this block," Rader said.
The Maryland Office of the Attorney General said police body camera video could be released within the next 20 business days.
The officers involved are on administrative leave, per the policy of the Baltimore Police Department.
Their names are expected to be released tomorrow.
