Bel Air officer of two months identified in fatal police shooting during traffic stop

A Bel Air police officer who has been with the department for only two months was identified as the officer who shot and killed a man during a physical altercation at a traffic stop on Aug. 15.

The Independent Investigations Division (IID) of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General said Officer Christopher Birch shot 57-year-old Francisco Aparicio-Munoz around 9 p.m. during a traffic stop on Franklin Street. 

Officer Birch has been with the Bel Air Police Department for two months and has been assigned to the Uniform Patrol Division. He has three years of law enforcement experience.

Investigators said a driver and an officer got into a physical altercation, and the officer fired his gun. The man was taken to Shock Trauma, where he was pronounced dead.

The officer was treated and released from a hospital for injuries suffered during the fight.

The IID is investigating the police shooting.

Anyone with information about this incident, including cell phone or private surveillance video, is asked to contact the IID at 410-576-7070 or by email at IID@oag.maryland.gov.

The IID said the officer had a body-worn camera, and there is private cell phone video from the shooting.

The Attorney General's Office said the IID typically releases body-worn video footage within 20 business days of an incident.