Victim and officer identified in weekend police pursuit in Howard County

The deceased victim and police officer have been identified after being involved in a weekend police pursuit in Howard County. 

A statement by the Maryland Office of the Attorney General on Wednesday identified the deceased individual as 20-year-old Anthony Bowers Jr. of Baltimore, Maryland.

The Howard County Police Department (HCPD) officer was identified as Amir Parker, a 6-year veteran. Officer Parker is assigned to the department's Traffic Management Division.  

The incident is being investigated by the Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division (IID).

A crash resulting from the police pursuit happened around 2:15 a.m. on September 6. 

Investigators said the incident began when a vehicle driven by Bowers backed into Officer Parker's parked police vehicle at a Royal Farms in the 7100 block of Montevideo Road in Jessup.

Police say Bowers fled the scene, prompting Parker to pursue the vehicle. Bowers' vehicle then crashed into a retaining wall about a mile away.

Bowers was pronounced dead at the scene, and two other people were taken to a hospital in stable condition, police said. Parker was not injured. 

Investigators said Parker was equipped with a body-worn camera, which recorded the incident. The video will be released publicly in accordance with state protocols.