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Baltimore County Officer Amy Caprio Killed; Suspects In Custody

BALTIMORE (WJZ) --  One suspect was arrested and three others are in custody in the death of a Baltimore County police officer who was killed in Perry Hall Monday afternoon during a traffic stop.

The officer has also been identified as 29-year-old Amy Caprio -- who would have been a four-year veteran of the force in July.

RELATED: 16-Year-Old Arrested, 3 Others In Custody After Death Of Balt. Co. Officer

Police said this incident happened in a residential neighborhood near Belair and Klausmier Roads after the officer responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle in the unit-block of Linwen Way. Police now believe the officer stumbled upon a burglary in progress.

Caprio was injured just after 2 p.m. and was taken to nearby Medstar Franklin Square hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 2:50 p.m.

Police say they are not yet sure if the officer was shot or hit by a vehicle, and her cause of death will not be determined until an autopsy is performed.

Officers say they have recovered a black Jeep, believed to have been used by the suspects.

A patio door in the neighborhood was smashed in, according Cpl. Shawn Vinson of the Baltimore County Police Department. This is what led detectives to believe a burglary occurred.

Baltimore County Police Chief Terrence Sheridan said that police are looking for suspects they believed are "armed and dangerous."

Sheridan said the officer was wearing a body camera at the time of the incident and police are reviewing the footage.

RELATED: Law Enforcement Across Maryland Offer Support After Baltimore Co. Officer Killed

Governor Larry Hogan offered his condolences to the Baltimore County Police Department and also offered up the help of the Maryland State Police as police continue to look for the suspects.

MANHUNT UNDERWAY

A normally quiet neighborhood with single-family homes is now the center of a massive crime scene. A large police presence can be seen across several locations along Belair Road while police collect evidence and search for at least one armed suspect.

Perry Hall area residents were being told to shelter in place.

Police were not allowing residents to enter the neighborhoods where officers are conducting the search. Belair Road was shutdown from Baker to Ebenezer Roads, so motorists were asked to avoid the area and expect delays. Motorists were being rerouted to Ebenezer, Baker and Honeygo Boulevard. Belair Road has since reopened.

Schools near the scene of the shooting were on alert and delayed dismissal, per county officials. Parents were told not to respond to the schools, but instead to call the school administrators for more information. Schools said the students were safe inside the school.

Perry Hall, Seven Oaks, Gunpowder elementary schools were allowed to leave as of 7:37 p.m. Monday night, per Baltimore County Public Schools.

County officials said to ensure the safety of students, buses will not be taking students home. Parents must pick up their students and show identification.

Evening and after school activities at Perry Hall Middle and Perry Hall High were cancelled.

St. Joseph's Elementary off Belair Road was also on lockdown, per the diocese, but has allowed students go home.

Although Carney Elementary was also temporarily on alert, those students were dismissed as of 5:55 p.m. Students were either sent home by bus or parent pick up.

EYEWITNESS DESCRIBES SCENE

One area resident, Stefanie Kurek, spoke to WJZ Reporter Ava-joye Burnett after she attempted and failed to enter her neighborhood. She was directed out of the area by police, but was concerned about her children who were home at the time of the shooting.

"The incident happened outside in front of my house," Kurek said. "And everyone's really nervous right now."

She said her husband, Tony Kurek, is home with the children, but they are very upset.

"They actually saw a black Jeep Wrangler and they saw that I guess it was a dead end street and they went to turn around and officers were following them. One of the officers must have gotten out of the car, I'm not sure if gunfire was exchanged or if they ran over her, but she was laying in the street," Kurek said. "They're pretty hysterical right now. It's shocking, it's scary, it just goes to show it's everywhere, nobody is exempt from it. I just want to go home, but because they're on lockdown, I don't know when they'll let me in."

Her eldest son is a practicing firefighter and was with the officer before additional authorities responded.

TOUGH MONTH FOR COUNTY

It's been a hard month for Baltimore County:

They suddenly lost its County Executive Kevin Kamenetz to a heart attack, their former schools superintendent was jailed and his replacement wasn't approved by the state superintendent.

Now they have lost an officer -- the 11th to die in the line of duty in the county since 1932.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, prior to Monday 10 officers have died in the line of duty in Baltimore County.

RELATED: 10 Officers Killed On Duty In Baltimore County Since 1932

This is developing news. We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

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