Baltimore Police Officers Fatally Shoot Hunter Jessup During Confrontation

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Newly Released Body-Camera Footage Reveals Baltimore Police Officers’ Deadly Encounter with Armed Suspect

In a shocking turn of events, newly released body-camera recordings by the Baltimore Police Department shed light on a fatal encounter between four officers and a man who pointed a gun at them while attempting to flee. The harrowing incident took place on November 7th, when officers from the specialized District Action Team were conducting proactive patrols in southwest Baltimore, with a specific focus on seizing illegal firearms.

The footage shows the officers firing a staggering three dozen shots at the suspect, later identified as 27-year-old Hunter Jessup, during a short foot pursuit. Prior to being struck by the gunfire and falling to the sidewalk, Jessup can be seen appearing to fire his own weapon. The exact number of times he was shot has yet to be determined, according to officials.

Following the incident, questions arose from community members regarding the necessity of Jessup’s death. Some argued that the specialized gun squads within the Baltimore Police Department have a reputation for displaying overly aggressive behavior and escalating otherwise peaceful encounters, particularly within this neighborhood. However, Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley has praised the actions of the officers, stating that they were acting in the interest of public safety in an area plagued by violence. He emphasized that the officers repeatedly shouted at Jessup to drop his weapon before resorting to lethal force.

While the investigation into the incident is still ongoing, Commissioner Worley affirmed that police officers are trained to “shoot to incapacitate” whenever they encounter individuals they perceive as “a threat of deadly violence.” This often involves continuing to shoot until the threat has been neutralized. In Jessup’s case, the officers fired a total of 36 shots.

The entire interaction, from the initial encounter to the fatal shots being fired, lasted less than a minute. The videos captured the police officers conversing with two individuals on a street corner, with the officers requesting that the men lift their shirts after spotting a suspicious “bulge” in Jessup’s clothing. Off-camera, Jessup suddenly took off running, prompting the officers to pursue him both on foot and by car. The pursuit culminated in all four officers converging on a sidewalk around the corner, where they confronted Jessup.

Despite one officer’s attempt to tackle Jessup, who was armed with a gun in his right hand, he managed to slip away. The other officers, with their weapons drawn, repeatedly shouted at Jessup to “get on the ground” and “drop the gun.” Ignoring their commands, Jessup continued to flee and turned towards one of the officers, prompting all four to open fire.

During a news conference on Friday, officials showcased a slowed-down version of the footage, which appeared to show a bullet from Jessup’s gun striking a parked car. Authorities are still processing evidence to determine the exact number of shots fired by Jessup.

In a bid for transparency, Commissioner Worley revealed that Jessup’s family members had been given the opportunity to view the footage from the officers’ body cameras before it was made public. However, it is unclear how they have responded to the recordings.

Police have disclosed that Jessup was under correctional supervision for a case from a different jurisdiction, but no further details about the case have been provided. The Maryland Attorney General’s Office has launched an investigation into the incident. A recent state law change, effective from October 1st, grants the statewide office the authority to decide whether to press criminal charges against any of the officers involved, as opposed to leaving the decision to local prosecutors.

The Baltimore District Action Teams have come under scrutiny, particularly following a similar police shooting earlier this year that left a teenager critically injured less than a mile away from where Jessup was shot. In that case, the police attempted to apprehend the teenager under the belief that he was armed, with an officer shooting him from behind as he fled while holding a gun.

The creation of the District Action Teams came in the wake of the disbandment of the Gun Trace Task Force, which faced federal racketeering charges accusing several officers of engaging in systematic robbery and planting evidence. The corruption scandal prompted extensive reform efforts within the Baltimore Police Department, which has a long history of problematic interactions with the city’s Black community.

Lea Skene contributed to this report for The Associated Press..