While enforcing criminal laws can become dangerous work at times, there are many situations where police use unnecessary force instead of less violent means to take a suspect into custody.
Suspect killed while serving routine warrant
The Montgomery County Police fatally shot a 21 year old man while they were investigating and executing a search warrant in Potomac Maryland, which is west of Glen Burnie.
The incident began when officers with the county’s special operations tactical unit went to execute the warrant at the 12200 block of St. James Road. They believed that the suspect would be high risk, as he was wanted for various firearms offenses. Local police did not give much detail about the incident, but they said the Major Crimes Division was still in the process of gathering facts and performing their investigation. The officer who fired the fatal shots was placed on administrative leave according to department protocol, but his identity would not be released until the conclusion of the investigation.
The victim was identified by name and police confirmed that he died shortly after the incident. No reason was given for the shooting and it is still unknown whether the man was armed at the time. The victim’s family was unavailable for comment.
Remedies for victims of police brutality
After an act of police violence, there are a number of steps that a victim or their family can take to ensure that they will receive some kind of justice. Any evidence such as photos or videos of the incident should be copied and kept safe. This is the best way for most victims to prove that police brutality actually happened. The officer’s department should be contacted and their internal affairs department should be notified of the incident. This will cause the relevant people in the department to investigate the incident, however there is no guarantee that they will be disciplined. Internal affairs normally only takes serious action after the most severe cases of police brutality. In some cases, the department and local prosecutors may coordinate to charge the officer criminally if their behavior was severe enough.
The best remedy for any victim is to contact their own attorney and file a civil case against the officer and local government. There are civil rights laws that protect all citizens against abuses by those in positions of power, including police officers. These federal statutes frequently become the basis for lawsuits related to actions such as excessive use of force and wrongful arrest.
Get help from police brutality attorneys in your area
There are lawyers who work in Glen Burnie, Arnold, and nearby parts of Maryland who can assist with an incident involving the police. Murnane and O’Neill Attorneys at Law assist all kinds of injured local clients.