Suspect Shot At Least 3 Times In Ambush On Baltimore Officer
BALTIMORE (WJZ) —A suspect is shot at least three times by a Baltimore Officer in an attempted suicide by cop incident over the weekend.
A broken window marks the spot where a 4-year member of the Baltimore Police Department was forced to opened fire when a man approached him with a handgun.
It happened near Reisterstown Road and Park Heights Avenue around 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning.
Police say the officer, who was assigned to the North Western District, was filing paperwork in his car when he was approached by an armed 21-year-old suspect.
The officer, feeling his life was being threatened, fired through his window, injuring the suspect. When police arrived on scene they recovered an unloaded 9mm handgun.
"The fact that the weapon wasn't loaded does not change the threat that was perceived by the officer, who had a raised gun at him," said TJ Smith, Baltimore City police.
It's unclear why the officer was targeted by the gunman, but police say it's a threat that's not uncommon.
"It highlights the dangers of our policing profession in the 21st century," said Police Commissioner Kevin Davis.
During a press conference on Monday, police say the suspect was struck at least three times in the upper body. He is currently listed in critical condition.
The suspect was on probation for a drug distribution charge, Davis said.
The officer was not injured in the shooting.
This is the third police-involved shooting in Baltimore in just two days, where the department days officers were left with no choice but to open fire.
The shootings have brought up a lot of talk about body cameras. Police say officers are being trained this month and cameras are expected to hit the streets the first week of June.
