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Veteran Baltimore City Officer Charged With Attempted Homicide In York, Pa. Shooting

YORK, Pa. (WJZ) -- A Baltimore City police officer finds himself on the other side of the law after he was accused of shooting a man multiple times in Pennsylvania.

Rochelle Ritchie has more on the shooting and the stigma of violence at the hand of city cops.

The officer has been with Baltimore City police department since 2002. He is off the job now and charged with attempted murder and assault.

John Torres, 33, spent 12 years as a police officer, protecting and serving on the streets of Baltimore City. But on Tuesday afternoon, police in York say he shot a man several times in the torso and the arm.

Baltimore City Police say because this incident is under investigation in another jurisdiction, they will not be releasing any verbal comments. However, they did release a written statement to WJZ.

In that statement, Baltimore City Police say, "We would be restricted to confirming that our officer was involved. He had been employed by the BPD since 2002 and has been suspended without pay."

Torres was off duty at the time of the shooting and investigators say he and his alleged victim were in some sort of dispute involving the victim's wife.

Torres told investigators as he left his home, the victim was seen driving toward his car at a high rate of speed. That's when he says he pulled out his gun and fired 14 rounds. The shots could be heard throughout the neighborhood.

"I think it was 10 or nine or something," a witness said.

Baltimore City cops ending up on the wrong side of the law is nothing new. WJZ archives hold a slew of officers convicted of murder, drug dealing, assault and conspiracy.

In 2011, 17 Baltimore City police officers were part of a kickback scheme in which officers would convince drivers they pulled over to have their cars towed and repaired by Majestic Body Shop instead of a city-authorized towing company. In exchange, the officers would make a $300 profit.

Torres is the latest cop to be arrested. He says he thought the victim had a shotgun and was going to kill him.

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