Baltimore County police fatally shot a man wielding a bow and arrow in the Arbutus area on Wednesday morning. According to WBALTV, officers were called to the 5100 block of Leeds Avenue around 10:25 a.m. after residents reported a person armed with an unconventional weapon.
A nearby doorbell camera caught the moments leading up to the incident, showing a masked man walking with a bow and arrow in hand. Jim Mechlinski, an eyewitness, described his encounter to WBALTV, saying, "I saw him with a bow, and I thought he was just carrying it down there going somewhere with it." The presence of such an armament in the neighborhood raised alarms, prompting calls to 911.
When officers arrived, the situation escalated. According to a report by the Baltimore County Government, both uniformed and plainclothes officers confronted the man at the intersection of Leeds and North avenues. A resident, choosing to remain anonymous, officers instructed the man to drop his weapon before gunfire rang out. A detective ultimately discharged his weapon, striking the man.
The officers at the scene attempted life-saving measures, but the man was pronounced deceased after being transported to the hospital. The immediate aftermath of the shooting prompted a lockout status for several nearby schools, adding a layer of consternation for residents.
The Maryland Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division has taken over the investigation, which is standard procedure in fatal shootings involving police.
