Police: Officer Shoots Robbery Suspect In Defense Of Fellow Officer
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—An early Monday morning confrontation ends with Baltimore police opening fire on a robbery suspect.
Derek Valcourt has details on what happened.
Police say one officer acted to save another's life when a robbery suspect pulled out a .22 caliber handgun.
In Southwest Baltimore's Irvington neighborhood along Potter Street, the commotion startled many neighbors just after 4 a.m. Monday.
"I was awakened by a gunshot," said Troy Gayleard.
"I come down stairs and I make sure my doors locked," said Apit Bowrin.
"I heard a noise and I got up and looked out and I seen all those police cars sitting over there," said Martin Reed.
Police officers responding to the call of a robbery spotted a 27-year-old man, matching the description of the robbery suspect in the alley.
But what police didn't know was that the suspect was armed with a .22 caliber handgun.
"The suspect engaged one of the officers. They got into a physical confrontation. He pulled out a weapon. One of the backup officers that responded saw the officer and the suspect struggling. He withdrew his service weapon and fired at least one shot in defense of that officer," said Anthony Guglielmi, Baltimore Police spokesperson.
After the suspect was shot police searched and found he was also armed with a knife.
A small pool of blood marks the spot where the suspect was shot in the stomach.
He was rushed to Shock Trauma, where he underwent surgery.
Neighbors are alarmed by the violence.
"Everybody pretty much knows each other, so I was amazed to hear somebody had got shot," said Kevin Gowdy.
"I just be talking to my girls. I tell them there's a certain time to be outside and certain time to be in the house because I don't need them on the porch really because you just see a lot of strange people passing, and you don't know who is who. The neighbors around here, we always look out for one another," Bowrin said.
The suspect is listed in serious, but stable condition. He is expected to survive. He has not yet been formally charged with any crimes.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on routine administrative duties pending the outcome of an investigation.
Monday morning's incident marks the 13th police-involved shooting so far this year.
