The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) of Maryland has recently determined the death of Dontae Melton Jr., a 31-year-old Baltimore man who died while in police custody, to be a homicide. This ruling emerged amidst an ongoing investigation, and details regarding the potential for any criminal charges remain unclear at this time. The OCME has stated that further information will be made available once the investigation concludes, according to FOX Baltimore.
On the night of June 24, Melton interacted with officers from the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) and appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis. The police response, which included restraining Melton in both handcuffs and leg restraints, was captured in over six hours of body-worn camera footage released by the Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. Requests for medical assistance were made by the officers; however, due to systemic failures, such as a downed Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, medics failed to arrive in time, as reported by FOX Baltimore.
As the wait for medics extended, Melton became unresponsive, prompting the officers to transport him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead six hours later. The footage reveals officers expressing frustration at the delayed medical response. One officer remarked, "I could’ve made a smoke signal by now that would have gotten the fire department here," showcasing the dire scenario as medics failed to tend to Melton promptly. An attorney for Melton’s family described the incident as a "preventable tragedy," citing that “the hospital was less than three minutes away, yet no officer drove him there until it was far too late.” This quote was detailed by The Banner.
Currently, all officers involved in the incident remain on full duty, except for one who suffered a shoulder injury. The officers' names and years of service were released by the IID, identifying those present at the scene as ranging from one year to 17 years of service within the department. Despite the medical examiner's ruling, the attorney general's office is still thoroughly investigating the case to ascertain the full circumstances that led to Melton's death.
