Family of man with autism killed by Howard County police announces federal lawsuit

The family of Alexander LaMorie, a 25-year-old man with autism who was shot and killed by Howard County police officers last March, announced Thursday that a federal lawsuit has been filed against the county and the officers involved in the shooting. 

A lawyer for the family, Jamie Strawbridge, with the law firm Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, made the announcement at a news conference. 

"Alexander LaMorie should be alive today. Alex is dead, because in a moment of crisis he called 911 for help. Rather than provide the modified emergency response services that Alex needed, Howard County sent four police officers armed with deadly weapons and no mental health resources," said Strawbridge.

The lawsuit was filed in federal district court, on behalf of the estate of LaMorie and his mother. The defendants are Howard County and the three police officers who shot and killed LaMorie, Strawbridge said. The lawsuit alleges violations of federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as state law, he added. 

LaMorie was shot by three officers during a mental health call outside his apartment building at Patuxent Commons in Columbia. The apartment complex is part of a multimillion-dollar project designed to provide safe, affordable housing for adults with disabilities and senior citizens. Strawbridge said LaMorie had moved in just three days before the shooting. 

Howard County police said they received a 911 call from a man threatening to harm himself. Officers encountered LaMorie outside the apartment complex. According to authorities, LaMorie was carrying a knife and was shot 12 times as he walked toward officers and refused to drop the weapon.

A month later, the Maryland Attorney General's Office released body camera video showing the shooting. The Attorney General's Office identified the officers involved as Officer Joel Rodriguez, a two-year veteran; Officer Cody Bostic, a six-year veteran; and PFC Joseph Riebau, a 10-year veteran. The officers did not face criminal charges.

The shooting sparked outrage from LaMorie's family, who have called for accountability and argued that the officers were "unprepared" to respond to a mental health crisis.

The incident also prompted Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and then-Police Chief Gregory Der to pursue improvements to the county's response to mental health crises.

This May, Howard County established the Task Force on Disability Inclusion, Safety and Crisis Response. The group includes representatives from the police department, other county agencies, nonprofits and social service professionals. During a meeting in July, the task force reviewed the police department's existing training and protocols for responding to mental health crises.