A gunman fatally shot 2 deputies
in Maryland before he was shot dead Wednesday. Authorities say the shooter was wanted here in Central Florida, where he is accused of assaulting an Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputy in 2015.
ABINGDON, Md. — A gunman fatally shot a sheriff’s deputy inside a crowded restaurant at lunchtime Wednesday and killed another deputy in a shootout, authorities said.
The gunman was killed in the exchange of gunfire not far from the shopping center where the restaurant is located, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. No bystanders were hurt.
The sheriff said he believed the first deputy who approached the gunman was shot because he was wearing a uniform.
The shooter, identified as David Brian Evans, 67, had warrants out for his arrest in Harford County and Orange County, Florida, where he was accused of assaulting an officer.
The initial shooting took place inside a Panera Bread restaurant in Abingdon, which is about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore.
A sheriff’s deputy was called to the restaurant to check on a report about someone causing a problem. The deputy tried to talk to the man, who was apparently known to workers there. The deputy sat down beside him, asked how he was doing and the man shot him in the head, witnesses said.
The shooter fled and “everyone started screaming,” Sophia Faulkner, 15, said.
Witnesses gave officers a description of the gunman and told them which way he was headed, Gahler said. Four deputies caught up with him and shots were exchanged, leaving the second deputy mortally wounded and the suspect dead, the sheriff said.
The slain officers were described as a 30-year veteran and a 16-year veteran. Gahler said he had met with both of their families.
Panera spokeswoman Amanda Cardosi said the company is heartbroken.