Howard County Police Shoot, Kill Baltimore Man

A Howard County police officer shot and killed a Baltimore man in Columbia Thursday evening after he allegedly held his estranged girlfriend at gunpoint, said police.

The estranged girlfriend reported that the man, whose identity has not yet been released, had broken into her home just after midnight on Thursday and awakened her by putting a gun to her head, according to police. 

Police said the woman was held overnight as the suspect assaulted her. In the morning, she was able to escape with the couple’s 2-year-old child and call 911, said police.

Around 7:45 p.m. Thursday, police located the suspect at an acquaintance's house near the 9000 block of Constant Course in Columbia, according to a statement from Howard County Police Department (HCPD).

Both Baltimore City and Howard County police responded to the scene; the suspect was wanted in Baltimore City on a warrant for first- and second-degree assault, gun charges and reckless endangerment, reported HCPD in a statement.

Officers were let into the Columbia home by a resident and located the suspect behind the house, according to police. 

Police said officers ordered the suspect to show his hands repeatedly but he did not comply. At that time, a Howard County police officer shot the suspect, according to police.

The suspect was later pronounced dead at Howard County General Hospital, according to police, who said no one else was injured in the incident.

Police have not released the name of the suspect, pending next of kin notification.

The officer involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave as internal affairs investigates the case, according to police.