35-year-old man shot by police after struggle in West Baltimore

Officers with the Baltimore Police Department shot a 35-year-old man in West Baltimore after struggling to apprehend him and shocking him with a Taser, officials said.

Baltimore Police officers responded to reports of a disturbance around 12:13 p.m. at Wilson Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in the Upton neighborhood, where at least three people were fighting, according to Police Commissioner Richard Worley.

Officers heard reports that one of the people involved was carrying a knife on Pennsylvania Avenue and police attempted to stop him, Worley said. The man took off, and officers pursued him on foot.

Worley said one of the officers struggled with the man and fought with him over a satchel in his possession. Another officer deployed a Taser on the suspect, which had no effect, and then attempted to use the Taser again, the commissioner said. Soon after, the man got control of the Taser. One of the officers then stepped back and fired one shot at the man.

Officials said the man is in critical but stable condition.

He had a handgun in the satchel, as well as a knife, officials said. The man was known to police and had two handguns taken from him by officers last year, Worley said.

The discharging and witnessing officers will be on routine administrative leave, according to police officials.

Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement he directed his Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement to activate a coordinated neighborhood stabilization response in the Upton area following the shooting.

“Whatever the circumstances, any incident like this, traumatizes our community and impacts all of Baltimore,” Scott said. “Our hearts are with all of those affected by this incident in every way.”

The shooting shut down a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue on Thursday afternoon, drawing more than a dozen cruisers, crime scene tape and a heavy law enforcement presence.

Russell Jackson, 46, posted video of the aftermath of the shooting on Facebook. In an interview with The Banner, he said he saw police running and stepped out of his job at a nearby business to get a better look. That’s when he saw the shooting.

“Police was scuffling with the guy,” Jackson said. “I couldn’t see what they were scuffling over but police couldn’t get what they were scuffling from him, so one police jumped back and shot the individual while the other police was still scuffling with him.”

Over a dozen police cruisers blocked off Pennsylvania Avenue, and yellow tape wrapped across the street up to the New Chicken Runner store and the Upton Metro station. Kids rode their bikes, and groups of people strolled about in the drizzle and cool winds.

Several people expressed frustration — some about their commutes being detoured, others about someone being shot in The Avenue Market’s parking lot. That part of The Avenue was sectioned off with red tape.

Several passersby shouted to Chris Lee, whose family owns Mary’s Kitchen inside The Avenue Market, asking when it would reopen.

“Tomorrow. We shut down for the day,” he told them.

Around a dozen workers flooded out of The Avenue around 1:30 p.m. after the shooting closed the business for the day. Lee suspects his family’s business is losing over $2,000 due to the early closure.

“Especially with it being Good Friday tomorrow, people about to come wearing me down for that fish,” Lee said.

The family had to take its losses and head out for the day, though. This experience isn’t abnormal for the Mary’s Kitchen owners, who’ve been in the area for 20 years.

“The sad thing is we got used to it,” Lee said.

People were standing around the area watching investigators as they worked in the parking lot. A man was handcuffed after a brief argument with police over flying a drone near the scene.

CityLink Lime is operating on a temporary detour in both directions until 9 p.m. due to police activity at Pennsylvania Avenue and Presstman Street, the Maryland Transit Administration said.

Scott earlier in the day canceled a Group Violence Reduction Strategy news conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon to announce the expansion of safety measures in the Northern District.

“Due to the developing incident in the Western District, which is diverting Mayor’s Office and law enforcement focus, today’s press conference will be rescheduled to a later date,” Scott said in an email.

The Baltimore Police Department has shot five people this year; three shootings were fatal, and two were not.

The most recent was March 10, when Baltimore Police officers shot and killed a 33-year-old man who was holding his grandmother hostage in her Park Heights Avenue home, according to dispatcher audio. Another took place in February, when police shot Dwight Hawkins outside a store near his family’s home in the Belair-Edison neighborhood.

Last year, Baltimore Police were involved in four people’s deaths: Jai Marc Howell, Bilal “BJ” Abdullah, Pytorcarcha Brooks and Dontae Melton.

This article has been updated.