Baltimore Police Officers Discharge 70 Rounds at Suspect During Pursuit

In a recent incident in Baltimore, six police officers fired a total of 70 shots at a 42-year-old man, Maurice Daniels, during a confrontation that followed an 18-minute pursuit. Daniels succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital early Sunday morning.

Authorities released body camera footage on Friday that detailed the events leading up to the shooting. Officers had surrounded a Dodge minivan, which they believed was connected to a carjacking incident in Baltimore County. In the video, Daniels initially attempted to exit the vehicle but quickly returned to his seat. When officers instructed him to raise his hands, he complied momentarily.

As an officer prepared to break the driver's side window, Daniels was seen lowering his right hand toward his midsection, prompting the officers to open fire. Following the shooting, Daniels was found motionless in the driver's seat, and the minivan was left riddled with bullet holes. Officers provided immediate aid until medics arrived to transport him to the hospital.

After the shooting, a BB gun was recovered from the vehicle. Police Commissioner Richard Worley stated that one officer retrieved the weapon from Daniels' hand and noted that this officer did not discharge his firearm during the incident. Unlike the officers who fired their weapons, this officer was able to cooperate with investigators without the need for legal representation.

Worley expressed concern over the shooting but also defended the officers' actions, stating, 'It looked like a real gun.' He emphasized that the officers were responding to a situation they believed involved an armed suspect from a carjacking.

Deputy Police Commissioner Brian Nadeau confirmed that the BB gun was a replica of a Colt 1911 and lacked any distinguishing markings that would indicate it was not a real firearm. The officers involved in the shooting—Sgt. Kevin Rivera and Officers Charles Blackman, David Weldon, Antonio Groomes, Darrius Hicklin, and Al-Shakier Drake—are currently on administrative leave as the investigation continues.

Both the Baltimore Police Department's internal affairs division and the Maryland Office of the Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division are conducting concurrent investigations into the incident.

Reported by HarborBeat based on The Baltimore Banner (source).