Baltimore police won't be charged in death of man accused of shooting officer in June
No charges will be filed against the Baltimore Police officers who shot and killed Bilal Abdullah Jr. in June, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said Tuesday.
Abdullah Jr., who went by the name BJ, was killed in a shootout with police on June 17 near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Laurens Street in the Upton neighborhood in West Baltimore.
Police said it began when they received a tip about a man carrying a handgun in a bag. They said the man, later identified as Abdullah Jr., ran from officers when they approached him.
There was a brief struggle when they caught up to him. At some point, investigators said, Abdullah, Jr. broke away from an officer, pulled a gun out of his bag and fired, shooting a veteran officer in the foot. Multiple officers returned fire, killing Abdullah Jr.
The officer who was shot in the foot was later released from the hospital.
The Attorney General's office wrapped up its investigation on December 16 and released a report Tuesday.
"After completing its investigation and evaluating all the available evidence, the Office of the Attorney General has determined that the subject officers did not commit a crime under Maryland law. Accordingly, the Attorney General has declined to prosecute any of the officers in this case," Brown's office said in a statement.
Abdullah Jr. was an "arabber" in the neighborhood, selling produce on a horse-drawn cart, according to community members.
Abdullah's family seeks justice
Abdullah's family believes police officers used excessive force during the deadly encounter.
"My son was a human being," Abdullah's mother, Joy Alston, said. "He was slaughtered like he was a pig in the street."
Roughly six months after the death of Abdullah, his family and the attorney representing them gathered in the same place where Baltimore Police officers shot him by the Upton Metro stop on Pennsylvania Avenue.
They protested against the Attorney General's report released Tuesday, which revealed the decision not to charge the officers involved in the shooting.
"It really damaged our family," said Abdullah's sister, Joy Abdullah. "We can't sleep at night. This is our first holiday without our brother."
The family did not dispute that Abdullah had a gun. However, they argued that he was not a threat to anyone.
"They said he was a threatening person," Abdullah's brother, Taj, said. "They got pictures of him smiling with food in his hand. They got a picture of him sitting over the thing, not bothering anyone. So, as a police force...I'm a regular guy in the streets. We can get a better team together and pursue someone with a gun far better than what they did."