Maryland AG Identifies Officer, Victim in Fatal Chillum Traffic Stop Shooting

The Maryland Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division has identified the officer and victim in a fatal police shooting that took place during a traffic stop in the Chillum area of Prince George's County, naming Lieutenant Charles Cooper of the Prince George's County Police Department and 32-year-old James Lee, Jr., of Sandy Springs, Georgia.

Cooper, an 11-year PGPD veteran assigned to the Bureau of Patrol, was identified by the IID on March 30, four days after the March 26 incident. Lee, who had traveled from Sandy Springs, was killed during the encounter. The IID, an independent arm of the Attorney General's Office charged with investigating cases where law enforcement actions result in death or serious physical injury, continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the stop.

Video evidence from the scene is expected to play a central role in the inquiry. Two officers on scene were wearing body-worn cameras, and one patrol vehicle was equipped with a dash camera. Under standard IID procedure, body-worn camera footage is generally released within 20 business days of an incident, though investigators can extend that window when witness interviews are ongoing, civilian identities need to be protected, or the victim's family has not yet had the opportunity to view the footage privately.

The public identification of both Cooper and Lee by name signals the IID is moving the case toward a formal accounting, even as core investigative steps remain incomplete. Depending on what investigators find, the case could lead to internal PGPD administrative proceedings, policy reviews within the department, or a criminal referral.

The IID is asking anyone who recorded cell phone or surveillance video of the March 26 incident to contact investigators at (410) 576-7070 or IID@oag.maryland.gov. The release of body-worn camera footage, once cleared for publication, will be a pivotal moment in establishing the public record of what occurred on that traffic stop in Chillum.