By: Marshall Ramsey II, Worthy News U.S. Correspondent
The following is a reprint of two separate news articles found by me regarding the shooting of a 14-year-old boy in Maryland. The commentary in italics are not part of the original articles but are comments made by me.
from http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/02/10/off-duty-officer-accidentally-shoots-teen-boy/
Off-Duty Officer Accidentally Shoots Teen Boy
February 10, 2015 11:31 AM
RANDALLSTOWN, Md. (WJZ) -- Baltimore County police are investigating a police-involved shooting in Randallstown that injured a teenage boy.
According to police, Baltimore police officers were working at their secondary job as apartment complex security Monday evening, when they were asked to investigate a burglary by the manager.
Investigators believe the two armed security officers were working for the Woodrudge apartment complex when they learned about people in a vacant apartment under construction. When security approached the building, they could see and hear movement inside.
A person came out on the balcony, and the officer -who was pointing in the direction of the person -- told another responding officer that his weapon discharged accidentally.
The person on the balcony went inside and fled the scene, running to his nearby residence.
Police learned a 14-year-old boy was struck and it cause non-life threatening injuries.
The Baltimore County off-duty officer whose weapon fired will be placed on administrative status during the investigation. He is not being identified at this time.
This incident is under active investigation by the Baltimore County Police Homicide Unit.
(That the Homicide Unit is investigating this is telling. It suggests that there is evidence which indicates that the officer involved in the shooting purposefully shot the teen, intending to kill him. The 'accidental discharge' claim is a cover-up.)
When the homicide investigation is complete, the report will be sent to the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office.
from http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/randallstown/bs-md-co-off-duty-shooting-20150210-story.html
Off-duty officer working as guard shoots boy, 14, in Baltimore County
By Jessica Anderson
The Baltimore Sun
FEBRUARY 10, 2015, 7:17 PM
An off-duty Baltimore
County police officer working as a security guard in Randallstown shot a 14-year-old boy Monday evening in what police described as an accidental shooting.
Police said two off-duty officers were working at the Woodridge apartment complex, in the 9600 block of Southall Road, when they went to investigate a report of people inside a vacant apartment. According to police, one of the officers said he saw someone come out on the balcony. He told police that he "was pointing the weapon in the direction of the balcony" when "his weapon discharged accidentally," the department said in a statement.
Police spokesman Cpl. John Wachter said the teen was hit in the shoulder. He was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, and has been released, according to a hospital spokesperson. The boy's family could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Wachter said the department has not released the boy's name because he might be charged for being in the vacant building.
(This suggests not only a cover-up, but a blame shift as well, from the cop to the boy, a.k.a. "It's his fault he got shot. He shouldn't have been in the apartment.")
The officer, whose name has not been released, will be placed on administrative duty while the department investigates. The Baltimore County state's attorney's office is expected to review the investigation.
Wachter said the teen and two others entered the apartment though an unlocked back door.
"We don't know the exact reason," he said. "We have talked tot he kid. We talked to two other kids that were in the building, and it appears that they were just being kids. [There's] nothing to indicate that they went in there to damage or steal anything."
(This suggests intimidation by the police. Note above that only the boy who got shot might be charged, not the two others who were in the apartment.)
When the teens saw security guards coming toward the building, two of them ran out, Wachter said. The third ran toward the balcony, where he was shot.
The off-duty officer was on a hill that sloped down to the ground floor, putting him slightly above eye level with the balcony, Wachter said.
After the teen was shot, Wachter said the boy went out through the back of the apartment and ran home.
"The officer having his weapon drawn is not unusual," Wachter said. "There's a number of situations where an officer would have his weapon out to react to any threats."
He said it is unclear what caused the gun to fire.
"We're still looking at what was in the officer's mind. We don't know what caused the accident," Wachter said. "The discharge of the weapon was not an intentional discharge."
(If the police are looking at what was in the officer's mind, this means that they already know the officer shot the boy on purpose. Officer Wachter is lying when he says, "We don't know what caused the accident." The cause of the 'accident' is that the officer responsible for shooting the victim pulled the trigger and shot the boy on purpose. The "discharge of the weapon" was most definitely intentional.)
Wachter said the officer did not immediately realize he had hit anyone. "It wasn't evident to him that the guy was injured," he said.
(These are blatant lies told by officer Wachter. This officer was not very far away and would have been able to tell if he had shot someone, with the most likely evidence being the boy hollering in pain and/or holding his shoulder while running away. Also, why didn't the officers chase down the boy but let him run home? Perhaps the officers wanted the family of the victim to know that he had been shot by cops? If this is so, then it suggests that someone living in the residence has made themselves an enemy of Baltimore County police and they wanted to send them a message.)
He said the second off-duty officer had run up the steps of the apartment entrance and did not draw his gun but had his hand on it.
Wachter said the officer was carrying a privately owned firearm that he was approved to use.
"Officers are allowed to carry firearms while working secondary employment if they get approval to do so," Wachter said.
Several people interviewed Tuesday at the apartment complex said they had not heard about the shooting, but noted that the building was being renovated after a fire last year.
John Heagy, whose company has been remodeling the units, said he has never had any problems at the construction site.
"It's a really a nice, decent neighborhood," he said. Heagy said his employees were not working at the time of the incident.
Management at the Woodridge Apartments did not respond to a phone call seeking comment. A woman who identified herself as an employee but refused to give her name declined to comment and asked a reporter to leave the complex.
Baltimore Sun reporters Alison Knezevich and Pamela Wood contributed to this article.
The following is a reprint of two separate news articles found by me regarding the shooting of a 14-year-old boy in Maryland. The commentary in italics are not part of the original articles but are comments made by me.
from http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/02/10/off-duty-officer-accidentally-shoots-teen-boy/
Off-Duty Officer Accidentally Shoots Teen Boy
February 10, 2015 11:31 AM
RANDALLSTOWN, Md. (WJZ) -- Baltimore County police are investigating a police-involved shooting in Randallstown that injured a teenage boy.
According to police, Baltimore police officers were working at their secondary job as apartment complex security Monday evening, when they were asked to investigate a burglary by the manager.
Investigators believe the two armed security officers were working for the Woodrudge apartment complex when they learned about people in a vacant apartment under construction. When security approached the building, they could see and hear movement inside.
A person came out on the balcony, and the officer -who was pointing in the direction of the person -- told another responding officer that his weapon discharged accidentally.
The person on the balcony went inside and fled the scene, running to his nearby residence.
Police learned a 14-year-old boy was struck and it cause non-life threatening injuries.
The Baltimore County off-duty officer whose weapon fired will be placed on administrative status during the investigation. He is not being identified at this time.
This incident is under active investigation by the Baltimore County Police Homicide Unit.
(That the Homicide Unit is investigating this is telling. It suggests that there is evidence which indicates that the officer involved in the shooting purposefully shot the teen, intending to kill him. The 'accidental discharge' claim is a cover-up.)
from http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/randallstown/bs-md-co-off-duty-shooting-20150210-story.html
Off-duty officer working as guard shoots boy, 14, in Baltimore County
By Jessica Anderson
The Baltimore Sun
FEBRUARY 10, 2015, 7:17 PM
An off-duty Baltimore
County police officer working as a security guard in Randallstown shot a 14-year-old boy Monday evening in what police described as an accidental shooting.
Police said two off-duty officers were working at the Woodridge apartment complex, in the 9600 block of Southall Road, when they went to investigate a report of people inside a vacant apartment. According to police, one of the officers said he saw someone come out on the balcony. He told police that he "was pointing the weapon in the direction of the balcony" when "his weapon discharged accidentally," the department said in a statement.
Police spokesman Cpl. John Wachter said the teen was hit in the shoulder. He was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, and has been released, according to a hospital spokesperson. The boy's family could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Wachter said the department has not released the boy's name because he might be charged for being in the vacant building.
(This suggests not only a cover-up, but a blame shift as well, from the cop to the boy, a.k.a. "It's his fault he got shot. He shouldn't have been in the apartment.")
The officer, whose name has not been released, will be placed on administrative duty while the department investigates. The Baltimore County state's attorney's office is expected to review the investigation.
Wachter said the teen and two others entered the apartment though an unlocked back door.
"We don't know the exact reason," he said. "We have talked tot he kid. We talked to two other kids that were in the building, and it appears that they were just being kids. [There's] nothing to indicate that they went in there to damage or steal anything."
(This suggests intimidation by the police. Note above that only the boy who got shot might be charged, not the two others who were in the apartment.)
When the teens saw security guards coming toward the building, two of them ran out, Wachter said. The third ran toward the balcony, where he was shot.
The off-duty officer was on a hill that sloped down to the ground floor, putting him slightly above eye level with the balcony, Wachter said.
After the teen was shot, Wachter said the boy went out through the back of the apartment and ran home.
"The officer having his weapon drawn is not unusual," Wachter said. "There's a number of situations where an officer would have his weapon out to react to any threats."
He said it is unclear what caused the gun to fire.
"We're still looking at what was in the officer's mind. We don't know what caused the accident," Wachter said. "The discharge of the weapon was not an intentional discharge."
(If the police are looking at what was in the officer's mind, this means that they already know the officer shot the boy on purpose. Officer Wachter is lying when he says, "We don't know what caused the accident." The cause of the 'accident' is that the officer responsible for shooting the victim pulled the trigger and shot the boy on purpose. The "discharge of the weapon" was most definitely intentional.)
Wachter said the officer did not immediately realize he had hit anyone. "It wasn't evident to him that the guy was injured," he said.
(These are blatant lies told by officer Wachter. This officer was not very far away and would have been able to tell if he had shot someone, with the most likely evidence being the boy hollering in pain and/or holding his shoulder while running away. Also, why didn't the officers chase down the boy but let him run home? Perhaps the officers wanted the family of the victim to know that he had been shot by cops? If this is so, then it suggests that someone living in the residence has made themselves an enemy of Baltimore County police and they wanted to send them a message.)
He said the second off-duty officer had run up the steps of the apartment entrance and did not draw his gun but had his hand on it.
Wachter said the officer was carrying a privately owned firearm that he was approved to use.
"Officers are allowed to carry firearms while working secondary employment if they get approval to do so," Wachter said.
Several people interviewed Tuesday at the apartment complex said they had not heard about the shooting, but noted that the building was being renovated after a fire last year.
John Heagy, whose company has been remodeling the units, said he has never had any problems at the construction site.
"It's a really a nice, decent neighborhood," he said. Heagy said his employees were not working at the time of the incident.
Management at the Woodridge Apartments did not respond to a phone call seeking comment. A woman who identified herself as an employee but refused to give her name declined to comment and asked a reporter to leave the complex.
Baltimore Sun reporters Alison Knezevich and Pamela Wood contributed to this article.
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