Attorney General clears Baltimore officer in woman’s shooting death

A Baltimore officer will not face criminal charges in the shooting death of 70-year-old Pytorcarcha Brooks, a decision that closes the state’s criminal review but leaves open questions about police response, mental-health intervention and public trust.

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office said Brooks died last June inside her home during a volatile encounter that began after a family member asked police to check on her at a social worker’s request. The final investigative report, released Thursday, said the family member told police Brooks had allegedly tried to stab him with a kitchen knife while he was checking on her. When officers and medics arrived, Brooks reportedly swiped a knife at them as they tried to talk with her.

Investigators concluded Brooks was in a mental-health crisis and said officers forced their way into the home to secure her. According to the Attorney General’s account, Brooks refused commands to drop the knife and advanced toward Officer Stephen Galewski. Galewski used a Taser, but it did not stop her. As he backed away, he fell over furniture. Officer Stephen Colbert then fired the shots that killed Brooks.

The report said Brooks was shot four times. Toxicology testing found no substances in her body. A family member had also told police he believed Brooks was not taking her medication, adding another layer to the picture of a home call that turned deadly in a matter of moments.

The decision means prosecutors did not believe the facts supported criminal charges against the officer who fired. It does not resolve the broader policy questions raised by the case: whether the response was handled with enough de-escalation, whether the officers followed department rules for a crisis involving a knife, and what Baltimore families should expect when a welfare check becomes a forced entry.

For the Baltimore Police Department, the ruling may settle the criminal question, but it does not end the need for internal review or public explanation. For Brooks’ family and neighbors, the outcome underscores a familiar and painful reality in the city: when mental illness, a weapon and a police response collide inside a home, the legal standard for prosecution can be met or not met, while the human loss remains.