Council President Makes Follow-Up Statement on Last Week's Police-Involved Shooting

Council President Makes Follow-Up Statement on Last Week's Police-Involved Shooting

Comments come after reviewing body camera footage. 

BALTIMORE, MD (July 9, 2020) -- Baltimore City Council President Brandon M. Scott released the following statement regarding last week's police-involved shooting:

I had the opportunity to review BPD body camera footage from the police-involved shooting from early July involving someone experiencing a behavioral health episode. From the footage, you can see that a medic was already on site and that BPD officers were there in response to the 911 call, which identified the person as possibly armed. I want to commend the responding officers for their efforts to deescalate the situation and for their willingness to continue to put their own lives at risk to respond to the needs of our residents. 

This incident is an illustration of how tense and sometimes dangerous the work of our police and first responders can be, especially when guns are involved. It also demonstrates how seriously we have to take the work of reimagining public health and safety in our city. Having the tough conversations about how to provide proper behavioral healthcare will play a key role in reducing our dependence on BPD and will allow them to focus their work on reducing violence in Baltimore.

But as this incident portrays, we must also have honest conversations about the safety of all first responders, including health officials who are often brought into situations as these.

I remain committed to completely reimagining public safety so that our neighborhoods are safer and the basic needs of children and families in this city are met.