Police Shoot at Armed Man in Edmondson Village, Suspect Flees

A man was firing a handgun in the middle of the night on Edmondson Avenue when Baltimore Police officers arrived and opened fire. He ran. Seven days later, he has not been found.

Officers responded to the 2800 block of Edmondson Avenue at approximately 1:52 a.m. on March 18 after reports of a man discharging a firearm in the area, according to police. The block sits near the intersection of Edmondson Avenue and North Franklin Town Road, on the west side of the city in a stretch of rowhouse blocks that spans what different outlets have variously labeled the Mosher neighborhood and Edmondson Village. When officers arrived, the man was still actively shooting.

What happened next is where accounts diverge slightly. Baltimore Police told CBS Baltimore that the suspect attempted to flee when he spotted officers, then "pointed the gun in the direction of the officers," prompting at least one officer to fire. FOX45's Alexa Dikos reported a more aggressive version: that the suspect "turned and fired at them" before officers returned fire. The distinction matters legally and for any future prosecution, and no official police statement has yet resolved the conflict. Neighbors in the area reported hearing multiple gunshots in the early morning hours as officers canvassed the surrounding blocks.

The man fled on foot after the exchange. Whether he was struck is also disputed. FOX45 stated flatly that "the suspect was not struck during the exchange and fled the scene on foot." CBS Baltimore and other outlets were less certain, reporting only that it remained unclear whether the man was injured. No police statement has confirmed his condition.

No officers were reported injured. Police have not released any description of the suspect, including age, physical characteristics, or clothing. No charges have been filed.

The Special Investigations Response Team, known as SIRT, is the Baltimore Police unit responsible for investigating officer-involved shootings, and it has taken over this case. Anyone with information about the suspect's whereabouts is urged to contact detectives.

The March 18 incident is the latest in a series of armed encounters between Baltimore Police and armed suspects in recent months. In late February, 37-year-old Dwight Hawkins was shot and killed by officers after a foot chase in the Belair-Edison neighborhood, where he had been seen inside a liquor store with a gun. Police Commissioner Richard Worley said Hawkins "continued to run with the gun in his hand before he was shot." Officials noted Hawkins had a lengthy criminal record and was barred from possessing a firearm. In January, 40-year-old Jamal Muse was shot and killed near I-95 and Eastern Avenue after police said he pulled a gun and fired at officers who were attempting to take him into custody. A neighbor told WJZ that Muse had suffered from mental health issues and that police had been called to his home repeatedly.

In all three cases, SIRT opened an investigation. In the Edmondson Avenue case, the man at the center of it remains at large.