Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled the death of a man punched by a Baltimore County Police officer a homicide, officials said Tuesday.

Samuel “Big Sam” Elsworth Brown Jr. died Feb. 27 from brain damage he sustained in an encounter with Baltimore County Police Officer Derek Hadel on Feb. 16, state officials said.

Stephanie Moore, a spokesperson for the state medical examiner’s office, said Brown’s autopsy report was not available since it is part of an ongoing investigation.

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division investigates all deaths involving police. In a February report based on a preliminary investigation, the division said an officer responded to a report of a man sitting in his car for a long time at a light at Security Boulevard and Whitehead Court in Woodlawn.

Advertise with us

An attorney for Brown’s family said he had a blood alcohol content of 0.26, roughly three times the legal limit.

In body-camera footage released by the state, Hadel approaches Brown, who sits in a car wearing an orange puffer vest and black jeans. Brown gets out of the car and swats Hadel’s hand away.

“Get in your car. Get in your car, sir,” Hadel says, pushing Brown away.

Brown swats the officer’s hand again. Hadel responds by punching Brown twice and shouting, “Get in your f---ing car, sir! Get in your car!”

Brown falls back, and blood spews from his head onto the asphalt. Eventually, other officers respond with aid, tying Brown’s head in a pressure bandage.

Advertise with us

Brown’s children and friends and other community members have amplified their calls for accountability since the release of the bodycam footage.

“It was not justifiable force. It was brute force and it was vicious. And it was intentional. This wasn’t an accidental punch,” Billy Murphy, the family’s attorney, said at a press conference. “This was deliberate.”

Banner reporter Céilí Doyle contributed to this story.