Attorney General clears Baltimore officers in fatal Southeast shooting

A 40-year-old Baltimore man was shot dead in Southeast Baltimore after police say he pulled and fired a handgun during a street encounter that began with a 911 call on Bank Street. The Maryland Attorney General’s Office has now cleared the two Baltimore officers who fired back, saying the evidence did not support criminal charges under state law.

The call came in at 9:18 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2026, when a caller reported a man with a gun threatening someone in the 6800 block of Bank Street. Investigators identified the man as Jamarl Muse, who was seen fleeing on a white bicycle.

A responding officer spotted Muse in the 6500 block of Eastern Avenue and tried to detain him, the Independent Investigations Division said. During the confrontation, Muse withdrew a handgun from his clothing and discharged it. Two officers fired back, striking him. Emergency aid was rendered, but Muse was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured, and police recovered Muse’s handgun.

The officers were identified as Sgt. Carlos Arias, a 15-year Baltimore Police Department veteran, and Officer Edwin Ruiz, a 3-year veteran. Both were assigned to the department’s Operations Bureau. The Independent Investigations Division finished its review on April 7, and the Attorney General’s Office publicly released the declination report on April 13.

That declination matters because the division’s job is narrow: it examines whether officers committed a crime. It does not decide civil liability or administrative discipline. In this case, investigators reviewed body-worn camera footage, police radio and dispatch records, forensic and autopsy reports, EMS records, department policies, photographs, and witness interviews before concluding the officers did not commit a crime under Maryland law.

Baltimore police released body-worn camera footage on Feb. 5, showing Muse on a white bicycle, the struggle on Eastern Avenue, and the moment police say he fired during the fight. Police Commissioner Richard Worley said the shooting was deadly but could have been avoided if Muse had complied. In reporting tied to that footage release, police said the call stemmed from a domestic dispute and that Muse was not legally allowed to possess a handgun.

The scene also carried a local geography Baltimore residents know well: Eastern Avenue, near the Interstate 95 and Anchor Square Shopping Center access point, is a busy corridor where a 911 call can turn into a fast-moving, high-risk confrontation in seconds. The criminal review is over, but the larger questions remain about body-camera transparency, departmental policy, and what accountability looks like outside the courtroom after a fatal police shooting.