Autistic man fatally shot by Howard police had called to report extortion scam

A man with autism who was fatally shot by Howard County Police officers outside his apartment complex called emergency dispatchers minutes earlier to report he had been a victim of an extortion scam, county officials said Thursday.

Three police officers fatally shot 25-year-old Alex LaMorie shortly after midnight on March 1 when he approached them and didn’t comply with commands to drop a knife, authorities have said. The shooting is being investigated by the Maryland attorney general’s Independent Investigations Division.

At a news conference Thursday, officials said LaMorie told a county dispatcher that he had exchanged personal information and photographs with someone who claimed to be a young woman. LaMorie then said he received a threat that if he did not pay money, all of his exchanges with the person would be released.

“This tragic sequence of events began with a cruel online scam and ended with the worst kind of loss,” said Howard County Police Chief Gregory Der.

The chief was joined at the news conference by County Executive Calvin Ball.

“On behalf of the Howard County Police Department, we extend our deepest condolences to Alex’s family, his friends and the entire community grieving together,” Der said.

Police were called to Patuxent Commons, a complex dedicated to supporting adults with disabilities, shortly after midnight on March 1.

Officers responded “to a 911 call from an adult male threatening to hurt himself,” the attorney general’s office said in a news release.

The officers opened fire after LaMorie “approached officers holding a knife and disregarded commands to drop the weapon,“ according to Howard County Police.

LaMorie was declared dead shortly after police attempted lifesaving measures, according to police.

Last week, the LaMorie family said in a statement that they were “utterly heartbroken [and] like many, we struggle to understand the circumstances surrounding his senseless and callous death.”

The family described LaMorie as a “bright light in the community,” who was loving, kind and enthusiastic.

LaMorie was a member of the Autism & Grief Project advisory board. The online resource is dedicated to helping adults with autism navigate and cope with grief that arises from death and loss.

The AG office’s IID has identified the officers involved as PFC Joseph Riebau, a 10-year veteran; Officer Cody Bostic, a six-year veteran; and Officer Joel Rodriguez, a two-year veteran.

None of the officers were injured, and police said the three are on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. The officers were equipped with body-worn cameras, and the attorney general’s office said it generally releases footage within 20 days of an incident.

Officials stressed they can only release limited information because the attorney general’s office is investigating. Der has asked the office to release the body-worn camera footage sooner than the typical timeframe.

Der made the request in the “interest of transparent and community understanding.” The chief stressed that the video will be difficult to watch.

Howard County offers a voluntary, confidential 911 flagging program for residents to notify police of mental, intellectual or physical health concerns. The database alerts officers to potential issues such as autism, Alzheimer’s disease and blindness or deafness before they arrive at a scene.

The Hickory Ridge Village Board sent a letter to county officials this week stating it is “dismayed and upset with the outcome” in LaMorie’s case. The board cited the county’s 911 flagging program.

“With these systems in place to deal with both individuals with Autism and mental health situations, the outcome of Sunday’s interaction is even more shocking and counter to the results Howard County residents expect from their Police Department,” the letter states.

In response to a question Thursday about whether Patuxent Commons had been flagged, county police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said that matter was under review by the attorney general’s office.

The AG’s office “will certainly be looking at what the officers may or may not have known or understood before they arrived at the scene,” Llewellyn said.

The Police Department also has a partnership with the nonprofit crisis intervention center Grassroots, which formed a 24-hour mobile crisis team in 2001 to respond to psychiatric emergencies, family crises and traumatic events.

The three officers involved in the shooting did not reach out to Grassroots’ team, Llewellyn previously said, adding that they are typically contacted for incidents “of a longer duration.”

Roughly 80% of all county police officers are certified in crisis intervention, which requires 40 hours of training on how to safely and effectively interact with people who have mental health issues and intellectual disabilities, Llewellyn said. The training provides “an advanced level” of behavioral and mental health awareness, trauma-informed policing practices, deescalation techniques and active listening skills.

Two of the officers who responded to the scene at Patuxent Commons had received that certification, she said, and a third was a specially trained negotiator.

In a statement last week, LaMorie’s mother, Jill Harrington, called for first responders to “be better trained to prevent tragic outcomes instead of contributing to them.”

On Thursday, the LaMorie family said it was “very difficult” to get less than a half-hour’s notice about that day’s briefing and then to hear expressions of concern for the family.

“Since the time of Alex’s death, we have not received a call nor a letter of condolence from any person from the County government,” the family said in a statement.

Family members said they “hope that the County government and law enforcement hold true to turn Alex’s pain and the community’s collective pain into purpose.”

When asked about the family statements and what is changing as the county waits for the investigative report, Llewellyn said, “We’re already talking about changes and evolution. It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to make determinations until the investigation is done.”

Four months ago, elected leaders and advocates gathered to celebrate the apartment complex’s opening. The 76-unit building was lauded as a pioneering solution to housing instability that affects low-income adults with disabilities, such as autism, as well as older adults and families with children.

The $44 million housing project, developed by the Autism Society of Maryland and Mission First Housing Group, was designed to be an inclusive community where residents with disabilities could live independently. The project received more than $5 million in county funds, and 19 units were set aside to be rented to low-income residents with disabilities.

Ball said that he and other leaders must acknowledge the pain that the community is feeling in the aftermath of LaMorie’s death.

As Ball spoke about county systems in place to support members of the neurodivergent and disability communities, “incidents” like LaMorie’s death are a reminder that those systems must be continually strengthened and evolved.

“Many people in our community are grieving. Some are frightened, and others are searching for reassurance that interactions with public safety will be safe, respectful and compassionate,” Ball said. “Those feelings are real.”

This story has been updated.

This story has been corrected to say that the Independent Investigations Division report said the initial 911 call came from someone threatening self-harm.