Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley is backing an officer who held a gun to the temple of a man other officers were restraining. The recently released body camera footage drew criticism from the man’s family and attorneys.
Worley said Thursday that in his career he had been in the same position as the officer — “fighting a guy who has a gun and [who is] trying to free his hands.”
“You do whatever you can to get him into custody,” Worley said. “You’re scared, you’re fighting for your life.”
Mayor Brandon Scott declined to comment Thursday, saying the case was under investigation and “any action that should be taken, will be taken.”
The city police union cheered Worley’s support for the officer, while the president of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP said he was so concerned about the remarks that they would be launching not just a review of the incident, but also of Worley’s tenure “to determine whether we believe he is fit to continue to lead law enforcement in our city.”
Defense attorneys and family members of Jaemaun Joyner, 24, spoke out Wednesday, sharing video that depicted Joyner on his back with multiple officers holding his arms and body down when Detective Connor Johnson grips his neck and holds his service weapon to Joyner’s temple. The officers said Joyner reached for a gun, but attorneys said that’s not what the video shows.
“I’ve read the consent decree and BPD policy, and nowhere does it say it’s reasonable for an officer to hold a gun to someone’s temple,” Jessica Rubin, one of Joyner’s attorneys, said Wednesday. “Point blank, period. That’s the most egregious thing an officer can do.”
Another attorney, Tony Garcia, called it an “act of terrorism” that was “not merited at all” and said that officers wrote a misleading statement of probable cause to justify their actions.
Police said the video was flagged at the time and was under investigation, though Johnson, an officer since 2018, has not been suspended.
Worley said he was not concerned that Johnson remained on patrol as the investigation plays out.
“He was out there doing his job, in an area where we want him to be, and going after individuals with guns,” Worley said.
Mike Mancuso, president of the city police’s Fraternal Order of Police lodge, said he had been in situations where a suspect appeared subdued but was able to get free.
“Then it’s life or death as the cops and suspect fight for control of the gun,” Mancuso said in a statement. “Don’t carry guns! Don’t resist officers! Comply! You can always complain later.”
The Rev. Kobi Little, president of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP, said the civil rights organization was “outraged by the excessive use of force displayed by the officer in question and the officers who aided and abetted his use of police terror.”
“This gentleman was clearly completely restrained under the weight of several officers and was clearly not posing any threat to the safety of anyone,” Little said in a statement. “It is alarming that the police commissioner thinks that this egregious use of police power is appropriate, and it is disappointing that he failed to reach out to the NAACP when he became aware of the incident.”
Little said the group would be reviewing both the incident and Worley’s tenure.
Joyner was at a vigil May 24 in East Baltimore when officers got a call for an armed robbery in the area. He was detained while standing near someone who police thought matched the description of the suspect, and then tried to run.
A loaded gun and drugs were recovered from Joyner’s pockets. Defense attorneys shared the bodycam footage with prosecutors. Days later, they dropped the case.
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