Family anguished over police shooting of man holding woman at knifepoint

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — Officers called to a family disturbance Sunday morning in east Baltimore fatally shot a man who held a woman at knifepoint, police said.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said officers were called around 10:39 a.m. to the 1800 block of East Lafayette Avenue for a family disturbance.

Harrison said a family member outside the house told officers there was a suspect inside armed with a knife who was holding a woman at knifepoint.

Harrison said one of the officer’s body camera video shows the officers going inside the house, where they saw three people in a hallway. One person left the house, leaving the suspect and the victim inside.

Harrison said the officers repeatedly tried to use de-escalation techniques and commands for the suspect to drop the knife and release the woman.

“What we saw is the suspect grabbed the victim, apparently by her hair, and motioned as if he was going to stab her with the large knife he had in his hand,” Harrison said. “At that time, we believe one, possibly, two of our officers fired at the suspect and hit that suspect. At that time, we were able to get the female out of the hallway, who was not injured.”

Harrison said two officers fired their weapons, and the suspect was struck. The woman was not injured.

An officer rendered aid to suspect, who died at the scene.

“The most important thing today is we have a family dealing with a tragedy,” Mayor Brandon Scott said. “We cannot allow people to harm people especially when (officers) are standing right there.”

Many of the man’s family members came to the scene wanting to know why he was shot, saying more could’ve been done.

“Man, tell me how my cousin’s dead!? Explain to me how my cousin’s dead!? How did he get shot in the back by the police,” a man yelled at the scene.

“They got tasers. They got nightsticks. Why did you have to shoot him? Why you had to shoot him? Why? His back turned. How is he dead?” a relative said.

An investigation continues.

“When you’re dealing with someone who clearly will take someone’s life, they have to react in a way that they do in their other training,” Scott said.

“I wish you were here to see his mother, man,” a relative said to the mayor.

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