The Maryland Attorney General’s Office is investigating a police shooting in Riverdale that left one man dead, according to a news release Wednesday.
On Tuesday at 4:55 p.m., Cheverly Police Department and Prince George’s County officers responded to a report of a stabbing on the 6600 block of Greenland that occurred earlier in the day. Officers found a man carrying two knives on the scene, who then approached them, according to a preliminary investigation by the Independent Investigations Division.
Officers commanded the man to drop the knives, but he did not comply. After Prince George’s County officers used a taser on the man, the Cheverly Police chief shot and struck the suspect, IID said.
The man was given emergency medical aid by officers until emergency services arrived. He died on the scene. No officers were injured.
According to Maryland law, the IID does not usually have the authority to investigate fatal accidents involving police chiefs. In this case, the Office of the State Attorney for Prince George’s County had jurisdiction over the investigation and referred the case to IID, the task force that probes fatal police encounters in the state, citing “independence and public confidence” in the investigation.
According to the IID statutes, sheriffs, the Secretary of State Police, police commissioners, deputies or assistant commissioners of police, chiefs of police, deputy or assistant chiefs of police and equivalent titles do not count as police officers. This also includes members of the National Guard and SWAT team. Therefore, they usually are not investigated.
The IID does not release the identities of the officers involved until two business days after an event. Officers on the scene were equipped with body cameras, which will have their footage released within 20 business days of the event barring any need to shield witnesses or civilians in the video.
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