Four Baltimore Police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a 27-year-old man in November will not face charges, the Maryland Attorney General announced Friday, saying the evidence shows deadly force was reasonably necessary given the circumstances.
The decision not to charge the officers comes after a three-month review of the death of Hunter Jessup, who was shot Nov. 7, after police said he pointed a gun at officers in southwest Baltimore.
A report by the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Unit concluded that officers had no reasonable alternative to using deadly force at the moment they fired.
“And because the force used was not excessive, there would be no way to prove that any officer intentionally used excessive force,” the Attorney General’s office report said.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley has said officers from the Southwest District encountered Jessup, who was armed, at around 12:35 p.m. in the 2600 block of Wilkens Avenue. The officers attempted to detain the man before he fled. One officer attempted to tackle him as they fell onto some steps.
Jessup had a Glock 23 with an extended magazine in his right hand, with numerous officers chasing him on foot before the shooting.
One detective told the Attorney General’s office that officers saw a “nonanatomical bulge” that they believed could be a handgun in Jessup’s waistband area and a decision was made to question him.
Officers questioned two other men, who were unarmed, when Jessup ran from the scene, police and the Attorney General’s office said. Jessup avoided an attempted tackle by one officer during the foot pursuit.
The Attorney General said Jessup pulled a handgun from his waistband and held it in his right hand as he continued running. Detective William Healey yelled, “he’s holding, he’s holding, he’s got it in his hand,” then shouted at Jessup, “Drop the gun! Drop it! Drop it!”
Detective Justin Oliva also ordered Jessup to drop the gun, yelling “Get on the ground! I’ll shoot you! Drop the gun!”
Jessup then fired one shot at Healey but missed, striking the rear of a car parked nearby in a moment captured on officers’ body cameras, the Attorney General said. Jessup fired seven shots in all, the Attorney General’s office said.
Healey, Oliva and officers Brittany Routh and Brandon Columbo fired multiple shots, striking and killing Jessup. Officers attempted to render aide to Jessup.
“In this case, the officers’ entire interaction with Mr. Jessup lasted less than two minutes and the shooting itself lasted less than four seconds,” the Attorney General said.
Prosecutors weighed violations of Maryland’s use-of-force and manslaughter laws but opted not to file charges under either, the Attorney General’s office said.
Worley, in the hours after the shooting, said the officers who opened fire were among six members of two District Action Teams on routine patrol in a neighborhood that Worley described as a high-crime area that has seen “a lot of violence,” including homicides.
Family and friends of Jessup gathered days later to criticize the use of District Action Teams and question why police shot Jessup.
