Baltimore Police have shot and killed a man they say fired at officers.
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Four plainclothes officers riding in an unmarked Nissan Altima with the windows rolled down heard gunfire coming from the building about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Smith said at a news briefing.
When they pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex, Davis said, they saw a man armed with the AR-15-style rifle and shooting. Kevin Davis said at a news conference Friday afternoon that Dayten Ernest Harper shot at four police officers who ran in his direction after hearing gunfire Thursday night in West Baltimore.
No officers were injured in the attack and no other victims were found. The man, who wasn’t immediately identified, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, he said.
The suspect was shot at least once and went back into that apartment building.
Smith says it’s unclear why the man began shooting. But the two officers who fired at the suspect were placed on administrative duty, a move Smith described as normal procedure for such incidents. “Were they specifically drawn there by him if [he] might have known they were in the area?” He said it wasn’t clear whether the shooter meant to target police. Davis said Harper had a record of violent crime. That’s something we don’t have the answer to.
Smith said cops searched the area after the shooting to ensure there were not other suspects.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said the gun is hard to trace.
Harper did not live at the apartment complex and it was unknown why he was there.
The officers were wearing tactical vests, reports CBS Baltimore.
Residents were turned away from what officers warned was a unsafe scene.
Davis said an Federal Bureau of Investigation warning that came out earlier in day, warning that members of the Black Guerrilla Family gang discussed the possibility of ambushing officers, and the shooting later that night are coincidental and not related. “We share this information out of an abundance of caution to provide situational awareness to assist law enforcement in protecting themselves, first responders and members of the community”.
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Police do not know why the man was firing the gun or whether he was shooting at someone when the initial gunshots were heard.
