Suspect shot by Maryland State trooper during criminal investigation in Somerset County
A suspect was shot by a Maryland State Police trooper during an investigation in Somerset County Sunday, officials said.
The shooting happened around 8 p.m. as police were conducting a criminal investigation in the 5600 block of Tulls Corner Road in Marion Station.
Officials said troopers encountered the suspect and a preliminary investigation revealed the person had a firearm in their possession.
One of the responding troopers who was helping another officer with an assault complaint fired a shot at the suspect, officials said.
The suspect was given medical treatment at the scene before being transported to a shock trauma center. A firearm was recovered at the scene, officials said.
No other injuries were reported during the incident, according to officials.
The involved trooper has since been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, per department policy.
The Maryland State Police Internal Affairs Unit and Somerset County State's Attorney's Office are conducting investigations.
Officer-involved shooting investigations
In many cases, the Maryland Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division (IID) partners with Maryland State Police to investigate police-involved shootings as standard protocol. However, it is unclear if the AG's office will lead this investigation.
The IID was created in the Maryland General Assembly in 2021 through a package of police accountability legislation. Since October 2021, the team has conducted 65 investigations into fatal or near-fatal officer-involved incidents across the state.
"IID investigators and attorneys work closely with MSP to ensure the collection of all evidence that may impact the outcome of a case," The Attorney General's Office said in a 2024 report.
In 2024, the IID conducted 22 investigations into police-involved deaths across the state. The fatal incidents included 10 shootings, eight car crashes and four in-custody fatalities, according to the Office of the Attorney General's (OAG) report.
The report shows that since 2021, one fatal police-involved incident occurred in Somerset County. Most occurred in more populated areas, such as Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties and Baltimore City.
The incident in Somerset County was a fatal shooting in 2022 that involved the Somerset County Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police. The shooting left a 24-year-old man dead.
