13 officers fired weapons in incident that killed suspect

A total of 13 Baltimore police officers opened fire during a shooting that killed a suspect and injured an officer and a bystander last week, according to Baltimore police.

All the officers have been reassigned to administrative duties, per departmental policy, pending the conclusion of an investigation, said Matt Jablow, a police spokesman.

Jablow said most of the 13 officers fired service handguns, though some fired long guns. A video of the scene taken by another bystander captured the sound of dozens of bullets being fired.

Jablow said the department is working to restaff the reassigned officers’ regular shifts and units.

The gunfire occurred about11p.m. Aug. 28 after a brief chase through East Baltimore.

Killed in the exchange was Tyrone Domingo Banks, 30. Police began chasing him two nights prior, after he allegedly fired at an officer and tried to run over another. Police called off the chase when Banks’ driving speed became too dangerous but continued searching for him until the fatal encounter.

Court records show Banks had previously been involved in high-speed chases with police and rammed a police car.

An unidentified officer was shot in the leg in the incident last week, and bystander Ray Maier, 51, of Highlandtown, who was waiting at a stop light in her car on Fayette Street at the time, suffered injuries to her neck, hand and chest.

Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said officers recovered a gun from Banks at the scene but were not sure if he had fired it during the exchange. At a news conference after the shootout, Harrison said police didn’t know if Maier was injured “by gunfire, shrapnel [or] broken glass.”

Maier’s sister Ghilda Fries said her sister’s injuries were more severe than portrayed by police, and that a bullet had apparently hit her in the hand. She also said glass and other debris had hit Maier in the chest, and that the family believes the debris may have been bird shot, or pellets.

Police investigations into officers who have opened fire in the course of their police duties are forwarded to the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s office for review. The state’s attorney then decides whether charges are warranted, or if the shooting was justified.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has adopted a policy of posting reports for each such shooting on her website, once her office completes its assessment of the facts in each case.

There is no timeline for when the 13 officers who opened fire in this case will receive a ruling from Mosby’s office, which did not respond to a request for comment.