Investigators Identify Towson Man Fatally Shot By Baltimore County Police, Partially Name 3 Officers
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Investigators identified the Towson man shot and killed by Baltimore County police last Saturday as 66-year-old Joseph Robert Henry Thompson.
An unnamed officer was shot by Thompson during the incident and released from the hospital Sunday after receiving treatment for his injuries.
The Independent Investigations Division of the Office of the Attorney General, a unit that probes all fatal counters with police, released the first initial and last name of the three shooting officers: S. Johnson, a 16-year veteran; C. Klapka, a 4-year veteran; and R. Fitzgerald, a 3 1/2-year veteran.
It's unclear if one of the named officers is the one who was hit. All three are assigned to the Operations Bureau with the Baltimore County Police Department.
Baltimore County police officers initially responded to a report of "unknown trouble" in the 500 block of Virginia Avenue on June 4 about 8:40 p.m., police said.
When they arrived at the location, they heard gunshots coming from inside a building.
They knocked on the door of a residence, and a man answered while armed with a handgun. He allegedly pointed it at the officers, authorities said.
Thompson and Johnson, Klapka and Fitzgerald exchanged gunfire, according to an initial report from the Independent Investigations Division. Thompson was hit and pronounced dead at the scene.
An adult female was inside the apartment was suffering from gunshot wounds and taken to a local hospital in critical condition, investigators said.
Johnson, Klapha and Fitzgerald all had their body-worn cameras activated at the time of the shooting, investigators said. The division will try to release the footage within 14 days, but sometimes they withhold the video for longer to continue conducting interviews.
Correction: An earlier version of the Independent Investigations Division press release identified one of the shooting officers of C. Klapha. The correct spelling is C. Klapka.
