Attorney General Frosh Files Complaint Seeking Court Order to Restrain Harford County from Interfering with Fatal Shooting Investigation

From the Maryland Legal professional Normal‘s workplace:

Maryland Legal professional Normal Brian E. Frosh in the present day filed a grievance requesting, amongst different issues, a brief restraining order to cease the Harford County Sheriff’s Workplace from interfering with the investigation of the Workplace of the Legal professional Normal’s Impartial Investigations Division into the deadly police-involved capturing that occurred in Forest Hill on April 23.

In 2021, the Maryland Normal Meeting created an impartial unit throughout the Legal professional Normal’s Workplace, known as the Impartial Investigations Division (IID), to analyze all police-involved fatalities within the state. Native law-enforcement businesses are required by legislation to cooperate with the IID’s investigations.

As detailed within the documents filed today, the Harford County Sheriff’s Workplace (HCSO) notified the Impartial Investigations Division on April 23 that two of its deputies had shot and killed a civilian. IID investigators, together with the Maryland State Police (MSP) murder unit and forensic sciences unit, started arriving inside 40 minutes to course of the crime scene, gather proof, and interview witnesses.

On the scene, the HCSO refused to permit the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Unit – an impartial physique – to gather the proof on this case, in accordance with the IID’s customary protocols. The HCSO insisted as a substitute that its personal staff gather the proof. The HCSO didn’t start amassing that proof till after MSP proof technicians had been current and obtainable to take action in a dependable, impartial method. That proof has not been supplied to the IID within the two days for the reason that fatality occurred.

The HCSO additionally refused to offer copies of any video footage of this incident to the Impartial Investigations Division. That video consists of the body-worn cameras of the concerned and witness officers, in addition to dashboard cameras and extra video from non-law-enforcement sources. Having copies of these movies for evaluation is essential to conducting an impartial investigation. The HCSO’s proposed different—that the IID assessment the movies solely underneath HCSO supervision—is antithetical to an impartial investigation.

Inside the final month, the Normal Meeting handed, and Governor Hogan signed into legislation, a invoice to offer extra protections towards the sorts of interference occurring on this case. The legislation (Ch. 141) will turn into efficient July 1. Even earlier than the brand new legislation turns into efficient, the Legal professional Normal might get hold of the entire customary types of injunctive reduction, together with the non permanent restraining order filed in the present day.

Legal professional Normal Frosh has launched the next assertion in regards to the deadly incident and its investigation:

“The Sheriff’s Workplace is interfering with the Division’s investigation on this case. This interference with an impartial investigation is in violation of the legislation. The individuals of Maryland deserve higher, and we’ll combat to see that they get it.”

We ask that anybody with details about this investigation contact the Workplace of the Legal professional Normal’s Impartial Investigations Division at (410) 576-7070.