Manhunt Continues After Baltimore Co. Police Officer Killed In Perry Hall Area

RadioOnFire.com - A Baltimore County police officer died Monday afternoon after an armed encounter in the Perry Hall area.

Police at the scene are looking for at least one potentially armed suspect and are telling residents in the area of Belair and Klausmeier roads to shelter in place. Drivers should avoid Belair Road from Forge Road to Ebenezer.

Four hours after the incident, Chief Terrence B. Sheridan said police are awaiting an autopsy to determine the officer's cause and manner of death.

"We have the police family together and the officer's family together and all of us are now trying to work through this thing and hopefully resolve it as soon as we can," Sheridan said.

Citing department policy, police are not naming the officer yet, but police spokesman Cpl. Shawn Vinson said she was assigned to the Parkville precinct and would have been a four-year veteran in July. The officer's family has been notified and is at the hospital.

Tony Kurek, a resident who lives in the area of the incident, told WBAL-TV 11 that his son saw the officer try to pull over a Jeep and had her gun drawn when the vehicle accelerated. Kurek said gunshots were heard and the Jeep ran over the officer. Kurek said his other son, who is a volunteer firefighter, performed CPR on the officer and they called 911.

Just before 2 p.m., the officer responded to a burglary call in the unit block of Linwen Way. Vinson said the patio door of a home at the scene showed some damage, suggesting a burglary was in progress.

SkyTeam 11 Capt. Roy Taylor reported the suspect or suspects left the scene in a Jeep Wrangler, then bailed out of the car in the area of Pine Hill and Belair roads. Vinson couldn't confirm that report, and said it's not yet clear if the officer fired her service weapon.

The officer was taken to MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 2:50 p.m. County Council Chairman Julian Jones hailed the officer's sacrifice.

"We are proud of the bravery and the courage and the sacrifice of all the men and women who serve in our police force," Jones said. "We are confident that the perpetrators of this heinous crime will be brought to justice."

Source WBAL