3 Brothers Charged In Deadly Police Shooting Appear In Court
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (WJZ) — New information about the Prince George's County police officer killed in an ambush outside a police station. The name of the fellow officer who mistakenly fired the deadly shot has been released, and three brothers charged in the attack appear in court.
WJZ's George Solis on the hearing and the bombshell testimony.
A mid-March afternoon quickly turned deadly in Prince George's County. The horrifying scene--an armed gunman in front of a Prince George's County police station.
"The environment was incredibly chaotic. We had officers under fire," said Chief Henry Stawinski, Prince George's County Police Department.
Police say the shooter was Michael Ford--a man investigators say enlisted the help of his two brothers to record the ambush on police, in what's been described as an unprovoked attack.
RELATED: Officer Colson Accidentally Shot By Fellow Officer; 3 Brothers Charged
Undercover officer Jacai Colson was killed in the shooting--not by Ford, but by a fellow officer who mistook him as a threat.
On Wednesday, the police chief named the man who fired the fatal shot as Officer Taylor Krauss.
"I spoke directly to Taylor and his wife today. They're doing well. They've had an opportunity to prepare themselves for this information coming into the public space," Chief Stawinski said.
The info came to light in court Wednesday, with all three brothers present to face a judge.
Testimony revealed Ford fired two dozen shots--some at a random car--and even wanted the rampage posted online.
Lawyers for the Ford brothers wanted to make the case that they had no hand in Officer Jacai Colson's death. The state said kill shot or not, Michael Ford sparked the chaos that led to Colson's death with his brothers in tow.
"If you accompany a person, you assist, you participate in a crime, that you can then be charged with the result of that crime," said Angela Alsobrooks, Prince George's County State's Attorney.
After heated argument from both sides, the judge ruled all three brothers will remain locked up.
"This is the beginning step in a long process, and it's a long process we intend to fight throughout."
The Ford family was in the courtroom. They tell WJZ that they love their brothers.
The brothers will remain locked up until their next court case in May.
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