US: Baltimore Police Officers Cleared in Shooting: No Charges in November Foot Pursuit Incident
In a recent development, four Baltimore police officers involved in a November incident where they fired three dozen shots at an armed man during a foot pursuit will not face criminal charges, according to state prosecutors. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, in a news release, revealed that the officers returned fire after 27-year-old Hunter Jessup shot seven times in their direction while attempting to flee. Unfortunately, Jessup was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
This decision follows an investigation by the attorney general’s office, which is now empowered by state law to examine police shootings and in-custody deaths. A recent legislative change also granted the agency the authority to make charging decisions, a responsibility that previously rested with local prosecutors.
The incident leading to Jessup’s death unfolded on November 7, when officers from a District Action Team, a squad specializing in seizing illegal guns, confronted him while patrolling in southwest Baltimore. Following the shooting, some members of the community questioned the necessity of Jessup’s death, expressing concerns about the aggressive behavior of officers on specialized gun squads and their tendency to escalate encounters unnecessarily.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley, however, commended the officers, asserting that their actions were aimed at protecting public safety in an area marked by high levels of violence. Worley emphasized that the officers repeatedly instructed Jessup to drop his weapon before resorting to firing.
The attorney general’s office, after its investigation, concluded that the officers acted in self-defense or defense of others and did not employ excessive force. The released report stated that the officers had no reasonable alternative to using deadly force in the given circumstances, making it challenging for a prosecutor to establish that the shootings constituted excessive force.
