State investigates fatal police shooting

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office released more details Sunday about a fatal police shooting in Frederick on Saturday that left one man dead.

Three Frederick police officers were dispatched about 6:20 p.m. Saturday to find a man wanted on a probation violation warrant who was believed to be in an apartment in the 1500 block of North East Street, according to the attorney general’s Independent Investigations Division, which is investigating the shooting.

The apartment resident denied the man was present but let police search for him, according to a news release. An officer found the man hiding in a bedroom closet, armed with a knife.

“Officers began speaking with the man, giving him commands to ‘drop the knife,’ while backing away from him into the apartment’s living room,” according to the description of events in the release. “The man then rapidly moved toward one of the officers with the knife held out in front of him. At that point, two of the officers discharged their firearms, striking the man.”

Police called for paramedics and performed resuscitation efforts, but the man was pronounced dead. A knife was recovered, and the officers were equipped with body-worn cameras that recorded the incident, the release said.

The attorney general’s office investigates all fatal police shootings in Maryland and reports findings to state prosecutors. The office said it generally releases within 48 hours the names of victims and officers who discharged weapons. Body-camera footage is generally released within two weeks, depending on the circumstances.