The off-duty Baltimore Police officer shot in Clifton Park Saturday night was defending a woman from unwanted advances by an allegedly intoxicated man, court records show.
City detectives arrested the suspect, Christopher Leigh, in Baltimore County on Sunday, police said in a news release.
Leigh, 44, is charged with attempted murder, assault and several firearms offenses as well as endangering the safety of others while intoxicated, court records show.
Baltimore District Judge Lydie Glynn ordered Leigh, of Dundalk, held without bond Monday. Leigh could not be immediately reached and does not have an attorney listed in court records.
According to charging documents, friends and family of Baltimore Police Officer Joshua Moody gathered Saturday evening in Clifton Park.
“I was just with family, hanging out really,” Moody said in a phone interview Monday. “Wasn’t nothing crazy at all. People have cookouts all the time. I was just trying to have a good time with my family.”
At about 7:30 p.m., a woman from the gathering tried to cross the street when Leigh allegedly pulled up next to her in a Ford Escape SUV, got out of the car and began making unwanted advances. Moody told The Banner the woman was a family friend.
Witnesses reported that Leigh was “visibly intoxicated” and that he refused to leave the woman alone, detectives wrote. Moody, who was dressed in civilian clothes and did not identify himself as a police officer, intervened.
Moody “repeatedly instructed” Leigh to leave, the charging documents say. When Leigh eventually returned to his car, Moody began to walk the woman across the street.
“I was taking her to the bathroom and that’s when everything happened,” Moody said. “I was just making sure she got across the street safely.”
Detectives wrote that Leigh backed his car into the woman. Moody then began approaching Leigh’s vehicle, at which point Leigh pulled out a handgun and shot him.
“I’m not trying to be a superhero or anything,” Moody said. “I’m used to seeing things like this happen all the time. I’m just lucky that I was quick enough to react so that it wasn’t anything worse.”
Leigh fled, according to charging documents, while multiple people called 911.
Moody suffered what police described as a graze wound to his left arm and was taken to the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Moody told The Banner he was released the same day.
He said he was doing well Monday. “Just a little bruising in my arm,” he said.
The woman was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center for treatment of what detectives called non-life-threatening injuries.
Multiple eyewitnesses selected Leigh’s picture from a photo array, identifying him as the shooter, according to charging documents. Detectives also determined that the Ford Escape used in the incident was registered to Leigh.
Leigh has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug. 11.
Moody didn’t have much more to say about the incident or arrest.
“People just suck,” he said. “That’s all.”




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