Details continue to emerge about the tragic police-involved shooting that occurred in Baltimore earlier this week, taking the life of a 70-year-old woman during a reported behavioral health crisis. In an unfortunate turn of events, the Maryland Office of the Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division (IID) has identified the woman as Pytorcarcha Brooks.
Officials have also revealed the names of the involved officers; Stephen Colbert, an eight-year veteran, and Stephen Galewski, who has been with the Baltimore Police Department for three years, both being members of the department's patrol division, police responded to the residence following multiple calls regarding Brooks' welfare last Wednesday afternoon, the police were summoned to the 2700 block of Mosher Street around 2:30 p.m. Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley explained, "Officers attempted to speak with Brooks multiple times, but those conversations went nowhere," which subsequently led to them breaching the door where Brooks was observed holding a knife, as reported by FOX Baltimore.
During the encounter, Brooks was said to have ignored verbal commands to drop the weapon and eventually lunged at the officers with the knife in hand, leading to one officer deploying a Taser that proved ineffective. The situation further escalated when one officer tripped and fell, injuring his back, which prompted Brooks to lunge at the fallen officer while still clutching the knife.
Another officer, in response to Brooks lunging at their colleague, discharged two shots, hitting her during this rapidly unfolding confrontation inside the residence. Brooks was then rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead, and the injured officer was also hospitalized for treatment of his back injury, as per WBAL-TV. The Baltimore Police Department later classified the shooting as "justified," setting the stage for a contentious debate among those who question law enforcement's use of lethal force especially among the city's residents who often find such enclosures within their troubled domicile, where the peace is shattered not by resolution, but by the final consequence of gunfire.
The IID continues its investigation into the full circumstances of the incident, and officials are urging anyone with information about the incident, including cell phone or private surveillance video footage, to contact the IID at 410-576-7070.
