Baltimore County Police ID Officer Involved in Robbery Shooting

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore County Police have identified the police officer involved in the shooting of the Pikesville bank robbery suspect on September 23.

Police have named Sgt. Bortner as the officer who shot the driver of the getaway car, following the robbery of a Wells Fargo on Reisterstown Road in Pikesville.

Police say Sgt. Bortner has been with the Baltimore County Police Department for 20 years, and had no prior history of shootings.

Baltimore County Police have already released the name of the suspected bank robber as 45-year-old Michael Stratton, as well as his accomplice, 33-year old Oddis Colvin.

Police say Stratton is wanted by the FBI, for a slew of other bank robberies in the Baltimore area.

Colvin, the getaway car driver, was shot by Sgt. Bortner, as Colvin and Stratton were trying to get around a police blockade at Old Court and Falls Road.

Police say Stratton and Colvin tried to get around the blockade, nearly running over police.

Sgt. Bortner "encounters this vehicle at some point during the encounter he fires several shots. The shots strike one person in the vehicle the other person was not hit," said Corporal John Wachter, Baltimore County Police.

No others were injured. Police say Colvin died after the shooting. Witnesses describe the chaos to WJZ, "I was just helping some customers and suddenly we just heard 4 or 5 shots go around the corner."

Police say no gun was found in the suspect's car but they did find bank property and some cash. There is also some body cam footage not of the shooting itself, but from a responding officer that has yet to be released.

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In:
• Bank Robbery