Baltimore City Police Release Body Camera Footage In Fatal Shooting Of Timothy Fleming
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Police released body camera footage Wednesday morning of the fatal shooting of Timothy Fleming in East Baltimore Sunday. They released three videos from the incident.
The shooting happened in the 1800 block of E. Lafayette Avenue in Broadway East. Officers had responded to a call about a knife-wielding man. The video starts with officers arriving and talking to one of the couple's children outside.
In the video made public Wednesday, Baltimore Police Officer Gaston Melendez enters a house in East Baltimore after a child tells him his father is threatening his mom with a knife.
Melendez announced himself before entering the home after a child tells him his father is threatening his mom with a knife.
Once upstairs, Melendez and another who arrives moments later begin talking to the man, later identified as 49-year-old Fleming.
"We don't want to hurt you, we don't want to hurt anyone," the officer said.
"Both of them at different times were trying to reason," Commissioner Michael Harrison said.
The police commissioner said both officers used various de-escalation tactics from training.
"We don't want to hurt you, we don't want to hurt anyone," the officer said.
You can keep the knife in your hand, but let her move," another officer said.
"What can we help you change, what can we help you fix?" the officer said.
Ultimately, three minutes after police get upstairs, Fleming grabbed his fiance Shannon Burnham by the hair and appeared to pull back his hand holding a knife like he was motioning to strike or stab her.
That's when both officers fired their guns.
Fleming was fatally struck and died on the scene. Burnham was not injured during the incident.
"Sweetheart, did he stab you? Are you ok?" one of the officers asked Burnham.
Fleming's fiance spoke with wjz Monday and said Fleming had never acted like this until this weekend.
"They stood there repeatedly shooting at him," Burnham said. "They shouldn't have did that."
She and Fleming were together 15 years and have two children together.
"So now they gotta live with no father," she said.
"It was a fraction of a second decision to neutralize that threat to save the life of the woman," Harrison said.
Harrison said those officers did a great job trying to de-escalate the situation. The incident is still under investigation.
Mayor Brandon Scott also commended the officers for trying to resolve the situation without violence prior to firing their weapon.
Watch the full press conference below:
