The family of a man with autism who was fatally shot by Howard County Police outside a Columbia residential complex on Sunday has expressed heartbreak over his killing.

The Maryland Office of Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division on Tuesday identified the deceased as 25-year-old Alexander LaMorie, a resident of Patuxent Commons, a complex that supports adults with disabilities. The division investigates police shootings.

Police officers responding to a call early Sunday about a man at risk of harming himself shot and killed LaMorie when he approached them with a knife and refused commands to drop it, authorities said.

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

“While Alex faced challenges related to his autism, he was able to function with it in his daily life and refused to be hampered by it,” the family said.

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

According to Howard County Police, officers responded shortly after midnight to find a man threatening to harm himself in the 6400 block of Freetown Road. The officers discovered the man outside the building about 13 minutes later, police said in a news release.

When he approached and refused commands to drop the knife, the three officers opened fire. LaMorie was declared dead shortly after police attempted lifesaving measures, the release said.

The attorney general’s office has identified the officers involved in Sunday’s shooting as Pfc. Joseph Riebau, a 10-year veteran; Officer Cody Bostic, a six-year veteran; and Officer Joel Rodriguez, a two-year veteran. None were injured, and police said the three are on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

The officers are assigned to the field operations command. They were equipped with body-worn cameras, and the attorney general’s office said it generally releases footage within 20 days of an incident.

The shooting took place outside Patuxent Commons, a complex dedicated to addressing the housing needs of adults with disabilities. The $44 million project, developed by The Autism Society of Maryland and Mission First Housing Group, provides support to community members with special needs, along with older people and families, and is the recipient of more than $5 million in county funds. LaMorie was excited to become a member of the Patuxent Commons community, his family said.

Mission First Housing Group said in a statement that it learned Sunday morning that one of its Patuxent Commons residents was shot and killed outside the property after a wellness check by police.

“Our thoughts are with the resident’s family and friends and we are working to support them,” Mission First Housing Group said Sunday.

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

In a recorded video, LaMorie, whose grandparents died within a year of each other, said that as an advisory board member he could help others by sharing his lived experiences with grief.

He said that the project’s website “will absolutely make it easier to help people both autistic and not understand how, you know, grief and autism works and how to help autistic people grieve.”

The IID investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the division at (410) 576-7070 or by email at IID@oag.maryland.gov

Baltimore Banner reporters Matti Gellman and Cayla Harris contributed to this report.