Police Release Body Cam Footage From Methadone Clinic Shooting
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore Police have released bodycam footage from the fatal shooting at the Man Alive methadone clinic on July 15.
Police released the footage to show the officers response in the fatal shooting that took the life of a 52-year-old David Caldwell a phlebotomist at the clinic. A Baltimore police sergeant and another staffer were also injured in the shooting.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison only released video from Sergeant Bill Shiflett's body camera. It shows Shiflett and Officer Christopher Miller entering Man Alive, a drug treatment center at 2117 Maryland Avenue.
Baltimore Methadone Clinic Where Gunman Opened Fire Reopens
"Ok, active shooter, buddy," Shiflett says as they go inside. An unidentified person inside the clinic tells the officers, "He's got a gun in his hand."
In the video, you see Ashanti Pinkney fires the first shot. Police redacted the rest from the publicly released portion.
"It's out of concern for the life that was lost," said Harrison.
WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren watched the redacted seconds of the video. In it, you see an exchange of gunfire — about 20 shots — and Pinkney falls to the ground.
"Put the gun down!" the officers can be heard screaming at the suspect Ashanti Pinkney. They told the man to put the gun down over a dozen times on the tape, before Sgt. Bill Shiflett can be heard saying, "I will shoot you right here, right now."
The publicly released portion picks back up with Pinkney saying he's been shot in the stomach. Officer Miller talks to him as he drags him down the hallway to safety.
Doctors released Sergeant Shiflett from Shock Trauma over the weekend.
"Our team worked hard to de-escalate — to tell him to put down his gun," said Commissioner Harrison. "I think they're to be commended in their bravery and courage. They ran towards it rather than running away from it without hesitating."
Police say Pinkney was not the registered owner of the .357 magnum revolver he used in the attack. "We do know who the registered owner is, and we are running that lead out," said Capt. Donald Diehl.
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Diehl told Hellgren no more weapons were found in a search of Pinkney's home, but He said Pinkney did have extra rounds of ammunition on him when he went into the clinic.
Police did not comment further about motive. The commissioner said Pinkney was allowed in the clinic — that he had not been banned. Several people who knew the suspect said he was desperate for methadone. His family declined to comment last week.
The first person killed in the attack was Caldwell. His family said he had concerns about his safety working in the neighborhood. Police said it was unclear why Pinkney shot Caldwell.
They later tracked Pinkney's movements through the clinic's security camera system.
"There's no camera inside the office of Mr. Caldwell so we wouldn't be able to tell exactly what transpired. We do believe the exchange happened rather quickly."
Police say another person in the clinic was wounded from shrapnel. She was treated and released from a hospital.
Man Alive is the oldest methadone clinic in Maryland and the second oldest in the United States. It has since reopened its doors.
Executive Director Karen Reese said in a Facebook post,
"Our hearts are broken over the lives lost and those staff who were injured and traumatized... We choose not to focus on the violence but rather on the support that we've experienced over the past few days."
