Baltimore Police fatally shoot man who they say pointed a gun at them; officer also injured

Baltimore Police fatally shoot man who they say pointed a gun at them; officer also injured

11/7/2023 2:49 p.m. EST,
Updated 11/7/2023 3:05 p.m. EST

Scene from an officer involved shooting located at the intersection of Wilkens & Millington Avenues.

Scene from an officer-involved shooting located at the intersection of Wilkens and Millington Avenues. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)

‘Multiple officers opened fire, striking the individual,’ Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said

Baltimore Police officers on routine patrol in the Millhill neighborhood of West Baltimore shot and killed a man who pointed a gun at them and refused numerous orders to drop his weapon, the Baltimore Police Department said.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley said officers from the Southwest District encountered a man they believed to be armed at around 12:35 p.m. Tuesday on the 2600 block of Wilkens Avenue. The officers, at least some of whom were part of the District Action Team, attempted to detain the man before he fled. One officer attempted to tackle him as they fell onto some steps.

“At one point, the suspect turned and pointed his weapon toward the officers,” Worley said near the scene of the shooting on Wilkens Avenue in front of St. Benedict Church. “Multiple officers opened fire, striking the individual. He was taken to Shock Trauma where he was pronounced deceased. Officers did render aid immediately.”

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One officer was also treated and released with minor injuries. On Wednesday, WJZ reported that the man shot and killed during a foot chase with officers is 27-year-old Hunter Jessup. The shooting is being investigated by the Special Investigations Response Team, Worley said. He confirmed the officers were not working undercover and were wearing vests that identified them as police.

Evidence marker are collected directly in front of the church. (Kaitlin Newman/The Baltimore Banner)

Police found a handgun with an extended magazine at the scene. It is not yet clear whether the man fired any shots, or how many rounds police fired except that it was more than a few, Worley said.

Residents who were home at the time of the shooting reported hearing what sounded like at least a dozen gunshots.

Mayor Brandon Scott spoke briefly to media at the shooting scene, tying the shooting to “the broader issue of the flow of guns into our city.”

Scott also thanked police for rendering aid, and pledged the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement will “support this neighborhood as they go through this traumatic event that has hurt their neighborhood.”

Hugo Kugiya

Hugo.Kugiya@thebaltimorebanner.com