Maryland: Man shot in neck by Ceasefire police officers in Northwest Baltimore
A man was shot by police after he reversed his vehicle towards two officers, tore the door off the police car and struck one of the officers in the leg. The man and his two passengers are in police custody, according to the police spokesman. A man was shot by police after he reversed his vehicle towards two officers, tore the door off the police car and struck one of the officers in the leg. The man and his two passengers are in police custody
The man's injuries were not considered life-threatening, and he was expected to be released from the hospital and into police custody within hours of the shooting, police said. The officer's leg injury was considered minor.
Two other men in the vehicle were also taken into custody. Police said all three men will face charges, but those charges were not finalized as of Wednesday. Police did not release their identities.
The shooting was reported about 1:20 p.m. in the 3400 block of Piedmont Ave. Police spokesman T.J. Smith said it wasn't immediately clear whether the officers were there as part of an investigation or "by happenstance," but the Ceasefire program focuses on shutting down drug markets and reducing shootings by targeting individuals with known links to drugs and violence.
Smith said the two officers — wearing tactical vests that read "POLICE" across the front and back — noticed the three men in the SUV acting suspiciously. Smith said the officers had just gotten out of their unmarked car to approach the men when the driver put the SUV in reverse.
Smith said he did not know how many shots the officers fired.
He said he did not know what the men were doing that was suspicious.
"This is a Ceasefire squad, and when they recognize certain things that might lead them to reasonable and articulable suspicion, they investigate it," he said. "In this scenario, they ultimately found a gun."
Smith said he did not know if the officers gave any verbal commands to the men before the driver put the SUV in reverse.
The department's Special Investigations Response Team, which investigates police shootings, was on the scene Wednesday afternoon, as were Police Commissioner Kevin Davis and several other top police officials.
Officers walked through high banks of snow to string up yellow police tape.
The SUV was still in the middle of the road, the driver's door open and the window partially shattered by the officers' bullets.
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