Police: Man Fatally Shot by Trooper Had Lighter, Not Gun
FREDERICA, Del. (AP) — Authorities say a Maryland man fatally shot by a Delaware State Police trooper was carrying a cigarette lighter that looked like a gun.
State police spokesman Sgt. Richard D. Bratz on Wednesday identified the man shot Monday night as 25-year-old Raymond A. Hutson of Greensboro.
Hutson was shot after Caroline County, Maryland, sheriff's deputies pursued a stolen pickup truck into Delaware, where troopers joined the chase.
Officials initially said that Hutson, who was wanted for burglaries in both states, displayed a gun during the pursuit and ignored commands after stopping his vehicle to drop it.
Bratz says in a news release that what police thought was a small-caliber handgun was in fact a gun-shaped cigarette lighter.
The incident remains under investigation.
The trooper who fired at Hutson has been placed on administrative leave per state police policy.
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