Mom of teen shot by Baltimore Police demands answers as attorney general declines to investigate
BALTIMORE -- People in the Southwest Baltimore community where police shot a 17-year-old on Thursday are demanding the release of the officer's body-worn camera video.
The teenager is still recovering.
Police said he was armed and failed to follow an officer's commands to drop the weapon when he was shot.
The Maryland Attorney General's office told WJZ Friday they will not be investigating the shooting "at this time."
The mother of 17-year-old Mekhi Franklin told WJZ an officer shot her son twice. Video footage shows him bleeding in an alleyway near Frederick Avenue and South Catherine Street in the Shipley Hill community.
Kieria Franklin said she wants answers.
"One bullet almost hit his spleen, and the other bullet went through his bladder," she said.
Police said her son ran when confronted by an officer who is part of a specialized unit.
They said the teen had a weapon with an extended magazine and refused to drop it.
Police would not provide specifics on the weapon or any new information on the investigation on Friday.
"I can't tell you what the officer saw, but when they called it out, they said, 'an individual with characteristics of an armed person,'" BPD Deputy Commissioner Richard Worley said Thursday when asked why police approached the teenager in the first place.
Worley would not elaborate.
He said the teen was shot in the "upper body" but did not provide additional details on that either.
One witness who spoke to WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren—and declined to give his name for security reasons—said the officer was harassing the teenager. He said he believes police body-worn camera video will tell the full story.
"The officer grabbed the gun off his holster, kneeled down and shot about four or five times," the witness said.
He said the body camera images will be "very important."
"I want to see it as soon as possible, he said. "I hope they give the citizens, the community, everybody deserves a chance to see the original tape."
The witness said he is outraged that Maryland's attorney general will not be investigating what happened. The office investigates all fatal and some serious non-fatal police shootings.
"Heartbroken, man. Just sad," he said. "It's like you're in a lose-lose situation."
Kieria Franklin said she was grateful her son survived the incident.
"Thank God he's not dead, and hopefully, pray to God, he's not paralyzed behind this," she said.
She, too, told WJZ police had been harassing her son.
"This happened previously with the same police officer," Franklin said.
Mayor Brandon Scott has promised a thorough investigation.
"As we're going through this investigation, we will make sure that every protocol is followed and that we have an investigation that is completed in the best way," the mayor said.
This is the first time an officer has shot someone this year in Baltimore, with use-of-force incidents down significantly.
The commissioner credits reforms within the department with the reduction, but many in this community say they still have issues trusting the police.
"It's a major problem, and that's why no one's really comfortable even dealing with them even on just the positive, anything," said the witness to Thursday's shooting.
Police have not identified the officer who shot the teenager. The police union tweeted that none of their members were injured in the incident.
WJZ Update:
On Tuesday, May 16th, police released body-worn camera video from the officer who shot Franklin. It shows Franklin refusing commands to drop a weapon. The officer fired four times during the foot pursuit, and police said the teenager was struck one time.
Commissioner Michael Harrison said the teen's weapon was stolen in the Western District in 2021. You can access our coverage of the release of body-worn camera video here: https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/baltimore-police-body-camera-shipley-hill-17-year-old-shooting-officer/
