2 dead, including gunman, in Baltimore clinic shooting

BALTIMORE — A Baltimore police officer and an armed man were shot at a drug treatment center on Maryland Avenue in Charles North on Monday, police said.

Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said Sgt. Billy Shiflett was shot while responding to a report of an active shooter at the Man Alive treatment center in the 2100 block of Maryland Ave. An unnamed suspect who entered the clinic for methadone treatment and then fired at the officer has died, Harrison said.

A third man found inside the building was shot and later pronounced dead at the hospital. A woman who worked at the clinic was also taken to an area hospital with non-lifethreatening injuries.

Harrison said the incident is under internal investigation because it was a police-involved shooting. Officers have recovered a firearm from the scene, he said.

Shiflett, a 25-year veteran of the department who spent time in the aviation unit, was taken to Shock Trauma and went immediately into surgery for a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He has since come out of surgery and is in stable condition, Harrison said.

Harrison also commended an unnamed police officer who he said was responsible for pulling Shiflett to safety outside of the building.

“This was a dangerous situation that could have been far worse,” Harrison said. “(The officers) showed extreme bravery.”

Several hours after the shooting, a small crowd gathered outside the Man Alive building, some of whom said they were trying to get into the building to receive their medication. Patients were redirected to the nearby REACH Clinic for treatment.

Behind the clinic, a group of people cried and embraced one another. Several were on the phone recounting what happened inside.

One patient, George Dowler, said he was waiting for his daily methadone treatment when he heard a gunshot inside his counselor’s office.

Another patient emerged from the office holding the employee at gunpoint, said Dowler, 61, of Baltimore County, and shouted at her, demanding to be let into an area behind the counter, where the medication is kept.

“Open that (expletive) door or I’m going to shoot you,” Dowler recalled the man saying.

“She let him in, and then I screamed, ‘Let her (expletive) go!’” he continued. “He did let her go, and she comes running back toward me, and I said ‘Go to your office. Go to your office.’”

Dowler’s hands trembled as he recounted the events near the crime scene tape. He said the gunman was just 5 feet away from him inside the clinic.

“I haven’t even been medicated yet,” Dowler said. “Who knows how many hours it’s going to be before I’m medicated.”