A Cockeysville homeowner shot three masked men in his driveway late Saturday night after they approached him and threatened him with a weapon, according to police. One of the men, 20-year-old Amon Walker, was later found dead a short distance from the home, while the other two sought treatment at area hospitals for their injuries.
According to foxbaltimore.com, the three men were wearing masks and armed with a handgun when they confronted the resident around 10:40 p.m. in the 10000 block of Greenside Drive. The homeowner told officers he was sitting in his driveway when the men approached and threatened him, prompting him to draw his own weapon and fire, per WBAL-TV. He then called 911 after the shooting, according to the same report.
Baltimore County police officers responded to the scene shortly before 11 p.m. and, while searching the area, found one of the suspects dead nearby, WBAL-TV reports. All three of the men were struck by gunfire, according to Daily Voice, with Walker pronounced dead a short distance from the home and the two others, both adult men, going to local hospitals to be treated for their injuries.
Masked Men Reportedly Armed Before Homeowner Fired
Investigators said the suspects' masks were described as Halloween or novelty-type masks, and that the men brandished a weapon in a manner suggesting a possible robbery, per WBAL-TV's reporting attributed to police. Police recovered a loaded handgun at the scene that they believe belonged to the suspects, the station's report notes. The Baltimore County Police Homicide Unit is now leading the investigation into the shooting, which left one man dead and two injured.
Police said there is no active threat to the community following the shooting, according to the same account.
How Maryland's Castle Doctrine Could Factor In
Maryland law includes an exception to the common-law duty to retreat known as the castle doctrine, under which a person facing an attack on their dwelling is not required to retreat from the home before defending themselves, according to a legislative analysis from the Maryland General Assembly, Department of Legislative Services. That analysis does not address whether the Cockeysville homeowner's actions meet the legal standard for self-defense, and no official determination on that question has been made public.
Similar driveway and home-invasion shootings have made headlines elsewhere in recent months. A homeowner in Mesquite, Texas shot an intruder who broke into his residence early one Saturday morning, according to FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth. In upstate New York, a homeowner shot and killed an intruder who broke in through a rear door, a suspect who syracuse.com reported was on parole for burglary.
Baltimore County detectives continue to investigate the Cockeysville case, and no further details about the suspects' identities or the homeowner's circumstances have been released.
