Baltimore officer fired as suspect advanced with gun, footage reveals

Video released Wednesday depicts a 44-year-old man advancing on a Baltimore police officer with a handgun before both parties discharged their weapons. The footage, which includes body camera and private security recordings, supports the department's account of the Oct. 22 incident in the Belair-Edison neighborhood.

Lindsey Eldridge, chief spokesperson for the Baltimore Police Department, stated that the suspect fired his gun approximately at the same time Detective Phil Polanco shot him. Polanco, a seven-year veteran of the agency, is on routine administrative leave and was not injured in the encounter.

The shooting occurred in the 3900 block of Erdman Avenue. The man remains hospitalized in critical condition, and officials have not yet released his name. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown's office is investigating the incident, as state law requires an independent review of all police-involved fatalities.

The video sequence begins at the Erdman Shopping Center. Polanco is seen speaking with the man through the open window of his patrol car. Eldridge noted that the audio for this initial interaction is missing because the officer was in a 60-second pre-recording buffer that captures video but not sound.

Following a brief exchange, the man walks away from the vehicle. Polanco radios, 'I'm gonna have one running.' He then parks his car and chases the man on foot. Polanco is a detective on the Western District Action Team, a unit focused on proactive crime suppression in West Baltimore.

The body camera shows the man running toward a car while holding a gun. He stops and walks back toward Polanco. At that moment, the video shows the suspect and the officer firing near simultaneously. Eldridge did not specify the number of rounds discharged. Polanco calls out, 'Shots fired! Shots fired!' over his radio.

As the man collapses, Polanco steps back. The footage shows the detective removing a magazine from his handgun to reload. He yells 'Stop!' as the man moves on the ground. Polanco then calls for medical assistance. He and other officers provide treatment until medics arrive to transport the suspect to a hospital.