Man injured during alleged use-of-force incident by Baltimore County officer has died

A man who was injured during an alleged police use-of-force incident on Feb. 16 in Baltimore County died last week, the Maryland Office of the Attorney General said.

He was identified as 57-year-old Samuel Brown.

During a press conference last week, family members demanded to see police body-worn camera footage.

"The choice that the officer made was an illegal choice," attorney Billy Murphy said. "He has no right to hit Sam twice in the face, break his nose, break bones in his face, and hit him so hard that he immediately hit the ground and hit his head against the ground, fracturing his skull."

The Independent Investigations Division (IID) is investigating the officer's use-of-force incident.

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General said police body-worn camera footage is typically released within 20 business days of an incident. 

"We are demanding, because we have been asking for over two weeks now, that you release the body cam footage, as well as the dash footage, so the family can have closure to what happened to our dad, our brother, our friend," said Roberto Silver, a friend of Brown, who is known as D.J. Quiksilva.

Police encounter in Baltimore County

Baltimore County Police said an officer found Brown asleep behind the wheel of a car at a stoplight around 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 16 in the area of Whitehead Court and Security Boulevard in Woodlawn.

The police report obtained by WJZ showed that Brown struck the officer's left arm with a closed fist, continued yelling, and struck the officer's arm a second time.

The officer responded by punching Brown in the face twice, and he fell back and hit his head on the asphalt, the police report stated. Pills found in the vehicle were determined to not be a controlled dangerous substance. 

Brown was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Family and friends said he was in a days-long coma before he died.

Brown's family seeks justice

Last week, Brown's family and friends held a press conference to demand justice and accountability for the police officer.

Silver said he has known Brown for more than 30 years, and owes his career to him. He said Brown has six children - four daughters and two sons - who are now grieving.

"You have four daughters and two sons, as well as immediate family, who are demanding justice for what happened to our brother, our dad and our friend," Silver said.

Silver, speaking on behalf of Brown's family, said he is going to keep fighting for justice.

"We are going to continue fighting," Silver said. "If ya'll know me, I don't get tired. So when it comes to fighting for justice for Big Sam, I promise you this fight is just starting."