The warrant was on charges stemming from a March 10 traffic stop that included disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
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The officer was justified in shooting Korryn Gaines, 23, and no criminal charges are warranted, Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said in a statement. Meanwhile, Gaines was sitting on the floor of the apartment pointing a shotgun at the officers, who began to treat the situation as a barricade and called in support teams including the hostage negotiation and tactical units.
“Korryn Gaines said to the police, ‘if you put your guns down and back up from my apartment, I will come out, ‘” the suit reads. Prosecutors have said that any announcement regarding charges should be communicated to the family first. When police did not retreat, she told them to leave. The suit also alleges that the police “did not fear Gaines as they had indulged her for several hours even up to the point where they alleged that she handled her weapon”, the suit reads. Another neighbor allegedly heard an officer say “I’m sick of this s-t!” before shots rang out. Gaines was killed in an exchange of fire and her son was struck in a cheek by a bullet, the report said. Based on a union agreement, police in Baltimore County are identified by last name only.
The wrongful death lawsuit that her family filed on September 13 alleged that a neighbor heard Gaines surrender, according to the Daily News.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, led by Sherrilyn A. Ifill, stepped in and asked Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz to launch an independent review of the police department’s policies, including their use of force practices.
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