Four police officers fired 36 times at Hunter Jessup when he fled down the 2600 block of WIlkens Avenue last week, said Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley during a Friday afternoon press briefing.
On November 7th, police stopped two men in southwest Baltimore’s Milhill neighborhood. According to the Baltimore Police Department, the men were asked to lift their shirts so that officers could see if they had weapons on them.
In the footage released Friday, Hunter Jessup is not visible during the time of the stop but police allege that they could see a bulge in his waistband. Officers were still in the vehicle when they conducted the stop.
Jessup then flees the scene and officers are seen pursuing him. As he runs down the 2600 block of Wilkens Avenue, he can be seen holding a gun in his hand. The video shows him fire at least one shot that hits a parked car. One officer attempts to tackle Jessup but is unsuccessful in taking him down.
Officers can be heard shouting, “Get on the ground, drop the gun” before they open fire.
Worley could not confirm how many of the 36 rounds fired actually struck Jessup because the autopsy report is not yet available.
When questioned about why so many shots were fired, Worley said, “We’re taught to shoot to incapacitate. So anytime somebody is a deadly threat… to our officers or another human, we are firing to shoot to incapacitated until that person is no longer a threat to our officers or the public.”
Worley said that officers were doing regular patrols in the area because it is considered “high crime.”
“It’s an area where we’ve had a lot of problems in the past,” he said.
Neighbors in Milhil have questioned why the pursuit was necessary.
The four officers involved are currently on administrative leave until the investigation is complete, said Worley.
The footage released by BPD is available here: Wilkens Police-Involved Shooting – YouTube
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