Baltimore Police on Friday released body-worn camera footage from the April 2 police-involved shooting in Upton, giving the public its first official look at a foot chase and struggle that ended when an officer opened fire and a 35-year-old man was rushed to the hospital. The video, along with police accounts, shows officers tangling with the man over a sling bag before an officer shot after the man briefly took control of a taser. Police say he was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
What the video shows
Officers were dispatched around 12:15 p.m. for reports of a man being assaulted at Wilson Street and Brunt Street, with a Western District detective monitoring CCTV and directing units to the scene, according to FOX45. Police located 35-year-old Tavon Newton on the 1700 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Newton ran, and the footage shows a foot chase that spilled into a nearby parking lot, where officers closed in, and a physical struggle began.
During that scuffle, officers deployed a taser. The department says Newton gained possession of an officer's taser, at which point Officer Devon Gubbar, a four-year veteran of the force, fired his service weapon, FOX45 reports. Officers then rendered aid. Police say a handgun and a knife were recovered from the scene.
Neighbors and family react
In Upton, the release of the video has reopened fresh wounds for neighbors and relatives of the man who was shot. Several told reporters that watching the footage was painful and left them demanding more answers about how the encounter escalated.
LaShawn Newton, who identified the wounded man as her brother, described her reaction after viewing the video. "My brother was laying on the ground. He was on his stomach. One officer had his arms and he was just laying flat and the guy got up and shot him," she said, as reported by WBAL-TV. City officials have said resources will be directed to help stabilize the neighborhood in the shooting's aftermath, and Mayor Brandon Scott has pledged that the city will provide neighborhood stabilization support.
Oversight and next steps
The Baltimore Police Department says its Special Investigation Response Team is leading the internal probe, while the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office is also investigating the shooting. The officer who fired his weapon has been placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome, according to CBS Baltimore.
CBS Baltimore also reports that Newton is expected to face aggravated assault and resisting arrest charges. At the state level, the Maryland Office of the Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division is charged with formally investigating officer-involved fatalities and, according to the division's annual report, has in recent years influenced how video and investigative materials are released and reviewed in high-profile Baltimore cases.
How this fits the neighborhood's recent history
The 1700 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, near the Avenue Market, is no stranger to tense encounters between residents and law enforcement. The area has seen several contentious incidents in recent years, including a fatal encounter last summer that sparked public outcry.
Hoodline's Worley At Scene coverage followed Commissioner Worley's on-scene response to the April 2 shooting. Residents say the newly released bodycam footage will be watched closely as prosecutors and investigators decide what happens next. Broadcast outlets have already shared clips and screenshots from the release while the official investigations continue.
