Officer John H. Spencer 
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2 March 1979

Policeman found Shot Dead near Car

The Sun (1837-1989); Mar 3, 1979; pg. B1

An off-duty Northwestern district policeman was found shot to death beside his parked car at Pennsylvania Avenue in school Street last night, homicide investigators reported.

The officer, identified as John H. Spencer, 40 years old, a 15 year veteran of the Police Department, was pronounced dead on arrival at Provident hospital shortly after 10 PM.

Officer Spencer was wearing civilian clothes. He had been shot once in the chest, according to Dennis S. Hill, the Police Department’s chief spokesman. The dead policeman’s badge and gun missing, Mr. Hill said.

Policeman are required to carry their service revolvers for use in emergencies, even when they are off-duty, according to the detectives on the case.

Colleagues at the Northwestern said early this morning that Officer Spencer was married and had two children.

The sling was discovered after a resident of a house nearby heard a single gunshot and fellow police. Detectives did not identify the caller and would not even say it was a man or woman.

No witnesses to the shooting had been found early today, according to Mr. Hill.

The motive for the shooting was not known, he said, nor wasn’t known if Officer Spencer, although not on duty, was following up on a case he’d been investigating earlier.

 2 arrested in slaying of off-duty policeman

Mar 4, 1979

The Sun (1837-1989); ; pg. B8

City police last night arrested a 23-year-old man and a teenager salt in the slaying of police officer John H. Spencer, 40, who was shot to death in an apparent robbery while off duty Friday night.

Acting on anonymous tip, seven homicide detectives and two uniformed officers went to an apartment in the first block S. Exeter St., “kicked in the door and caught [the suspects] by surprise,” said Dennis S. Hill, the police department spokesman. He said the raid occurred on the seventh floor of a high-rise apartment building.

Arrested and charged with murder last night were Joseph Lee Roy L Wood, 23, of the 500 block of gold Street, and Cedric Eugene Scott, 17, of the 2100 Block Ettings St., police said.

Neither suspect resisted arresting officers, and police found no firearms in the apartment, Mr. Hill said. He was unable to say in whose name the apartment was rented.

The men were held last night at Western district lockup pending a bail hearing today, detectives said.

Mr. Hill said the location of the suspects was learned “through a continuous investigation,” since the slaying Friday night and “an anonymous phone call” to detectives late yesterday afternoon.

Recovery of the slain officer’s badge which had been stolen along with his 38 caliber service revolver, yesterday morning was a great help to the investigation, leading to the issuance of arrest warrants for the two suspects, Mr. Hill said.

The warrant naming Mr. Allen’s listed his address as the same property were a child reported finding the badge yesterday, he said. The child, who was not identified, discovered the badge “in the grass” outside the apartment building in the 500 Block Gold St., he said.

Officer Spencer had been wearing civilian clothes when accosted by two persons at Pennsylvania Avenue and School St., Friday night, police reports said. The 15 year Police Department veteran, assigned to the Northwestern district, was found dead beside his car after a neighbor called police about gunshots in the vicinity, the reports said.

Mr. Hill said the officer’s home address would not be made public, but added that he did not live in the area where the shooting occurred.

Please had no details about why officer Spencer had been in the neighborhood, and Mr. Hill was unable to save the officer had been following up an earlier police case.

The officer was pronounced dead on arrival at Provident hospital shortly after 10 PM Friday. Police said he received a gunshot wound to the chest.

Mr. Hill said robbery was the likely motive for the killing. He declined to elaborate on the evidence detectives collected that led them to issue the two arrest warrants.

 Slain in Apparent Robbery

Mar 5, 1979

The Sun (1837-1989); ; pg. A8

Funeral services for Officer John H Spencer, Sr., of the Northwestern district operation unit, will be held at 10:30 AM tomorrow at St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church, Walbrook Avenue and Ellamont streets

Officer Spencer was slain while off duty Friday during an apparent robbery at Pennsylvania Avenue at school Street. Two suspects were charged with homicide last night.

Officer Spencer was 40 and lived in Randallstown.

A colleague, Lieut. Bessie Norris, of the Northwestern district, said yesterday that Throughout officer Spencer’s nine years with the district operation section, his specialty has been working with youngsters.

On his own time, Lieut. Norris said, Officer Spencer worked with children at the Towanda recreation center at Park Heights Avenue and Garrison Boulevard, and earned their respect.

In summer, he also recruited young people for Little League and recreation programs and also to them to the police boy’s club summer camp.

Aside from his interest in people, the Lieut. said, officer Spencer was a dedicated professional who was assigned to special crime-prevention patrols in high-crime areas.

Those areas included the Park Heights Avenue corridor from Garrison South to Virginia Avenue, as well as the area around liberty Heights and Gwynn Oak Avenue.

Lieut. Norris said her colleague was “a quiet guy who never flew off at the mouth,” and that this quality was reflected in his personnel file, which contained no citizen complaints it is 15 years of service in the district and on a narcotic and by squads.

She said Officer Spencer had been urged to study for the sergeants and lieutenants but always rebuffed those suggestions, saying, “There is a place for everybody, my place is as a patrolman.”

His supervisor said she felt officer Spencer may have had a premonition about “his time,” since only Friday had he introduced his mother to people on his post for the first time. Recently he also had gotten some of his things “in the shape,” Lieut. Norris said, “Because I think John somehow knew he was going.”

Also Spencer was born here and was a 1956 graduate of St. John’s College, a military high school, in Washington. He had been a worker at boy’s village in Cheltenham, Maryland. A post-office worker and a merchant seaman before becoming a police officer.

He was a member of the police organization and of St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church.

Supervisors include his wife, the former Nancy Burke, three sons, Scott H. Spencer, Brian S. Spencer and John H. Spencer, Junior., All of Randallstown; his mother, Freda Spencer, of Randallstown, and his father, John T. Spencer, of Glen Burnie.

2 Men to be Tried for Murder

Jul 19, 1979

The Sun (1837-1989); ; pg. C2

Judge Mary Arabian cleared the way yesterday for the trial of two men charged with the murder of an off-duty policeman, ruling that a police service revolver was properly seized in a raid on the Exeter Street apartment.

Today, Cedric E. Scott, 17, of the 2100 block of Etting Street, and Joseph L. I went, 23, of the 500 Block Gold St., will face trial on murder and robbery charges in the death of officer John H. Spencer, of the Northwestern district.

Officer Spencer, 40, died to March 1979, after he was shot once in the chest as he was about to enter his private car parked in the 600 block of school Street near Pennsylvania Avenue. He was off duty at the time.

According to arguments by Richard Karceski and Thomas E. Klug, defense lawyers, police in properly searched the Exeter Street apartment, where neither of the defendants lived, a day after the shooting occurred.

However, Judge Arabian agreed with Leslie a Stein, an assistant state’s attorney, the police had obtained a proper warrant for the search of the apartment after a group of seven persons had been taken in the custody.

 Murder Weapon Identified at Trial in Death of Off-Duty Policeman

Jul 24, 1979

The Sun (1837-1989); ; pg. C3

A 38 caliber police service revolver was identified yesterday in criminal court as the weapon which killed Officer John H. Spencer, an off-duty policeman who was shot to March 1979 in a 600 block of school Street.

The identification of the weapon, which belonged Officer Spencer, was the last testimony offered by the prosecution in the murder trial of John L. Owens , 23 of the 500 block of gold Street, and Cedric E. Scott, 19, 2100 block of Etting Street.

Both defendants are charged with killing officer Scott after robbing him of his gun, and two wallets [badge wallet/money wallet] it as he fumbled for the keys to his car which was parked on school Street.

Today, lawyers for Mr. Owens and Mr. Scott in a jury trial before Judge Mary Arabian will open their defense to the charges.

Before closing his case, Leslie A. Stein, an assistant state’s attorney, told the jury that the defense had stipulated to the testimony of the ballistics expert which showed also Spencer was killed by a bullet from his own gun.

A witness, Ralph will it, testified he saw Mr. Owens fire several shots from officer Spencer’s gone after he wants Mr. Owens and Mr. Scott yoke the policeman near the front door of his car.

However, Mr. Allen said in a statement given to police that Mr. Scott found the policeman service revolver after knocking him to the ground and searching them. Mr. Scott in his statement said that Mr. Owens had the gun.

Despite the conflict in testimony, JoAnn Chester, who lives on school Street, testified both Mr. Owens and Mr. Scott were visiting her when they saw officer Spencer staggered to his car in a way they felt showed he had been drinking.

Mr. Chester said she recalled telling the two defendants: “don’t you mess with that man.” Mr. Owens and Mr. Scott left her house, the witness said, and then see heard a noise “that sounded like three or four firecrackers.”

Mr. Willett, who also was visiting Mr. Chester, said he saw both defendants grabbed Officer Spencer and throw him to the ground. The witness said Mr. Owens stood up with the gun and said: “this is my lucky day.”

One shot was fired by Mr. Owens into the air and then he left the revolver and fired Officer Spencer, who had gotten up off the ground, Mr. Willett said.

Police arrested the defendant’s the next day after obtaining information they were at a seventh – floor apartment of a high – rise building in the first block of S. Exeter St.

Detectives testified that a search of the apartment disclosed officer Spencer’s revolver in a paper bag in a drawer of the coffee table in that department.

One of Officer Spencer’s Wallace was found in a similar at Golden Etting streets. His badge was handed to another policeman by a young boy who said he found it in the area was unable to say where, testimony disclosed.

Two guilty in murder of policeman

Jul 25, 1979

THEODORE W HENDRICKS

The Sun (1837-1989); ; pg. C1

Two men were found guilty last night of what a prosecutor called a “senseless and stupid” murder of an off-duty policeman who was attempting to get into his car to March 1979, in the 600 block of school Street.

Convicted of felony murder charges in the death of Officer John H. Spencer, 44, were Joseph Lee Roy Owens, 23, and Cedric Eugene Scott, now 19.

Held on $260,000 bail of peace, they face sentences of life imprisonment. A jury under Judge Mary Arabian deliberated for six hours before handing down the verdict.

Leslie A. Stein, an assistant state’s attorney, had argued to the jury that the shooting was senseless and stupid because the policeman apparently could not identify those who accosted him. Mr. Stein pointed out that Officer Spencer had been staggering as he approached his car and one witness said he appeared to have been drinking.

Also Spencer was shot once through the heart with his .38 caliber service revolver, which the witness said Owens took from him after knocking him to the street.

According to evidence in the week long trial, Owens and Scott had seen Officer Spencer as a left the house they were visiting in the 600 block of school Street.

A witness, JoAnn Chester, who lived at the school Street address, testified she told Ellen’s and Scott as they left;

“Don’t mess with that man.”

Another witness, wealth Willett, testified that he saw one search the policeman after he was knocked down and took his wallet and service revolver.

Mr. Willett quoted Owens as saying, “this is my lucky day,” after he found the revolver, the witness said Owens fired once in the air and fired again at Officer Spencer.

The next day police raided an apartment in the first block of S. Exeter St. and arrested Ellen’s and Scott, who were attending a party there.

A search of the apartment turned up Officer Spencer’s service revolver in the door of a coffee table in the living room.

During the trial neither Owens nor Scott took the stand in their own defense. They were represented by Richard Karceski and Thomas E. Klug.

However, Owens gave a statement to detectives in which he tried to explain that Scott was the man who took the pistol from the prone policeman. However, Scott gave a statement blaming Owens for the shooting.

Police recovered a while it taken from Officer Spencer, a 15 year veteran of the police force, in sewer at Etting and Gold streets.

Officer Spencer’s badge was handed to a patrolman by 15-year-old boy in the 1300 block W. North Ave. The boy was unable to say where he found the badge.

Man gets life in slaying of policeman

Sep 6, 1979

THEODORE W HENDRICKS

The Sun (1837-1989); ; pg. C20

Joseph L. Ellen was sentenced to life imprisonment +15 years yesterday for the felony murder of an off-duty policeman who was shot with his own service revolver as he was making fumbling attempts while intoxicated to get into his car.

A co-defendant, Cedric Eugene Scott was also sentenced to life imprisonment but an additional 15 year sentence in his case was not made to run concurrent with a life term.

Judge Mary Arabian, in criminal court, common that evidence showed the victim, officer John H. Spencer, 44, was “vulnerable and apparently helpless” at the time he was shot because he had been drinking.

Both defendants were convicted 24 July, for the fatal shooting of the 15 year veteran policeman, which occurred to March 1979 in the 600 block of school Street, officer Spencer was shot once in the chest with his own 38 caliber service revolver.

Owens, 23, of the 500 block of Gold Street, was identified as the gunman during the trial of the case. Owens and Scott, now 19, of the 2100 block of Etting Street, had just left the house in the 600 block of school Street when they saw the policeman trying to get into his private car.

After also Spencer was knocked down and searched they the two defendants, Ellen is found the policeman’s service revolver and while it, a witness said Ellen’s shouted out, “this is my lucky day,” the witness, Ralph will it, said.

I once fired once in the air and then fired again at Officer Spencer, evidence showed.

2 imprisoned for killing policeman lose effort to overturn convictions

Jun 5, 1981

The Sun (1837-1989); ; pg. C3

Annapolis – two men, convicted of killing an off-duty Baltimore city police officer during a robbery, yesterday lost in their efforts to have their convictions overturned.

The court of special appeals found no error in the trial of Lewis L. I went, 25 and Cedric E. Scott, now 21 that would justify sending the case back for a new trial. Both men are serving lifetime terms in prison

According to court records, the two men were about to enter the school Street apartment of a friend in March, 1979 when they saw officer John H. Spencer, 44, trying to unlock the door of his car.

Officer Spencer “was very drunk, and it looked it,” the appeals court observed, the two men “immediately decided to… .. Rob him.”

According to eyewitness testimony, Owens threw Officer Spencer to the ground and kicked him... Both then once found the officer’s revolver and exclaimed, “This is my lucky day.”

The men fire the gun twice in the air before sending two shots toward the officer, according to a witness.

Owens and Scott were arrested within 24 hours of the crime. Each man admitted participation in the robbery but blamed is companion for the murder.

On appeal, defense lawyers argued that the convictions should be overturned in part because the confessions by the two men should not have been used in a joint trial.

Referring to some Supreme Court decisions, the court of special appeals said the defense lawyers to write about the use of the confessions. But an opinion written by Judge H. Daniel, the appeals court said that the error was not serious enough to warrant throwing out the convictions.

POLICE INFORMATION

Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.

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Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll 

JOHN A STAPF 
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POLICE INFORMATION

Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

NOTICE

How to Dispose of Old Police Items

Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.

Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. follow us on Twitter @BaltoPoliceHist or like us on Facebook or mail pics to 8138 Dundalk Ave. Baltimore Md. 21222

Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll 

 Officer Thomas F Stienacker

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POLICE INFORMATION

Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

NOTICE

How to Dispose of Old Police Items

Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.

Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. follow us on Twitter @BaltoPoliceHist or like us on Facebook or mail pics to 8138 Dundalk Ave. Baltimore Md. 21222

Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll 

Officer Francis Stransky 
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On this day in Baltimore Police History 10 January 1964, we lost our brother, Officer Francis Stransky, to injury or illness based on the following:

1964 would become one of the most violent years in the history of the Baltimore Police Department. By year’s end, five officer’s lives would end in the line of duty, and this day, 1964, would be the day that kicked them all off; it would be the day we would lose the first of those five officers.

Officer Stransky was a five-year veteran; he was an aggressive officer who worked his beat, knew everyone, and did his job by the book. It was coming up at 6 o'clock, maybe a quarter of an hour, when Officer Stransky was in the 500 block of Ensor St. and came across a 22-year-old wise guy by the name of Larry G. Wadsworth. Wadsworth was acting disorderly and refused to cease his actions and move on. When told he was being placed under arrest, he felt it was up to him to resist that arrest and that the officer wouldn’t be able to subdue him. What he didn’t know was that Stransky was tough, and he knew the laws, so he used just the amount of force he was allowed by law, an amount of force determined by the amount of resistance shown by Wadsworth. So Officer Stransky followed the rules to the letter, and when he tried to subdue Wadsworth and found he was no match, he followed the progression of force going from hand-to-hand to the introduction of his Espantoon. A few jabs and a strike or two from the stick, and Wadsworth tapped out. Wadsworth was ready to stop by Mercy Hospital on the way to men’s detention, and that’s just where he was taken. While at Mercy, he was quickly treated for the lumps he took, and off the two men walked to the Central District Police Station, where he would be booked for disorderly conduct, assault, and resisting arrest.

While Wadsworth was waiting in one of the holding cells, Stransky was in the roll call room. He began feeling odd—something between dizzy and lightheaded—and before he could call for help, he would collapse to the floor.

Officer Stransky would die before anyone really understood what was happening with him. 22-year-old Wadsworth came in on what would have been minor charges. But before he knew what was going on in the fight, he decided to put up against that arrest, and against the officer's authority would have him catching another charge. But worse than the charge, it would make him a murderer. Because in addition to a simple disturbance of the peace and resisting charges, Wadsworth was now being charged with the assault and manslaughter that caused this patrolman’s death.

Behind Stransky’s death, we would see four more fallen officers by 1964's years end, those would be officers Claude Profili, Walter Matthys, Teddy Brafford, and Sgt. Jack Cooper. From an officer with less than a week on the streets to an officer with 17 years on the streets, each was a man of valor; each was a loss that to this day is felt deeply.

Francis R. Stransky, a 39-year-old husband and father of two. A policeman in the Central District for five years, Francis enjoyed patrolling the area around Cicero’s and the Belair market. He liked the people in the area, and he liked seeing the rich history of Baltimore. He also liked to grab a quick bite to eat in the Belair Market and the brotherhood he would find in the Baltimore Police Department.

As we take this time to remember him and thank him for his service and sacrifice,. We, his brothers and sisters of the Baltimore Police Department, will not let him be forgotten. God Bless and rest in peace.

#BPDNeverForget

Patrolman, 39, Dies After Subduing Man

Jan 11, 1964

Patrolman Francis Stransky, 39, of the Central District collapsed and died after subduing a 23-year-old maintenance man in the 500 block of Endor Street last night. Police said the patrolman was involved in an altercation with the man, subdued him, escorted him for treatment to Mercy Hospital, and took his prisoner to the Central District station before collapsing. He was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m., and police said an autopsy was scheduled. The man was held for investigation

Man Charged With Murder

Jan 12, 1964

A 22-year-old man was charged with homicide yesterday in the heart attack death of 39-year-old Central District Patrolman Francis Stransky. Police charge. Larry G Wadsworth of the 1500 block of Gorsuch Ave. with homicide late yesterday following their investigation into the death Friday night of Patrolman Francis Stransky Patrolman Stransky became involved in an altercation shortly before 6 p.m. Friday in the 500 block of Ensor Street, police said. He was struck at least once in the process, but subdued his assailant and brought him to Mercy Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The patrolman then took his prisoner to the central district station to book him. The policeman collapsed in the assembly room at the station and was pronounced dead at Mercy Hospital at 6:55 p.m. The autopsy performed yesterday showed patrolman Stransky died of a heart attack. Police said Wadsworth was then charged with assaulting the police officer and causing his death.

Detective Sean Suiter

Hogan: Maryland offering $100,000 reward for information on person who killed Baltimore homicide detective

The state of Maryland is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for killing a Baltimore homicide detective, Gov. Larry Hogan announced on Twitter Thursday evening.

This money is in addition to the $69,000 reward being offered by local authorities and the Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland.

“My best hunch is more than one or two people know or suspect our killer was involved in this yesterday,” Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said at a Thursday news conference. “We’re asking those folks to do some soul searching and pick up the phone and give us a call.”

Det. Sean Suiter, an 18-year veteran of the city police force, was shot Wednesday afternoon while investigating another killing in the notoriously violent Harlem Park neighborhood in West Baltimore. The 43-year-old detective was a husband and father of five, who was described by other police as a dedicated officer. Suiter joined the city’s homicide unit in 2015.

“Everyone that worked with him loved him. Even when you were down he would smile with his mischievous smile and make everyone happy and feel at ease,” said Rick Willard, a retired officer who led a drug squad in the Western District of which Suiter was a member. “He is one of the best officers I ever worked with, and it breaks my heart.”

Suiter died just after noon Thursday at Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where officials say he was surrounded by his family.

Davis said police have encountered evidence suggesting the suspect was injured, but he did not elaborate. Police are searching emergency rooms and doctor’s offices for “anyone with an unexplained injury,” Davis said.

Hogan has also ordered the flags be flown at half-staff to honor Suiter.

"One of the Best Officers I ever Worked With"

Alison Knezevich, Justin Fenton, and Kevin Rector This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Contact ReportersThe Baltimore Sun

As a young patrolman assigned to the Harlem Park neighborhood of West Baltimore, Sean Suiter impressed his supervisor as a conscientious and poised officer who “operated beyond his years.”“The writing was on the wall early in his career that he was going to ascend the ranks in any path he chose,” said Maj. Martin Bartness, who was Suiter’s sergeant 15 years ago.On Wednesday, Suiter was back in Harlem Park — now 43 and a homicide detective, dressed in a suit and tie. Police say he was working a 2016 homicide case when a man shot him in the head.Suiter, an 18-year veteran of the department, died shortly after noon Thursday. He leaves a wife and five children.Police Commissioner Kevin Davis called Suiter “a wonderful detective, husband, father, and friend.”“We remain dedicated and committed to finding the person who ended such a beautiful life,” Davis said. “We will find the person responsible for this ridiculous, absurd, unnecessary loss of life.”Suiter’s colleagues remembered him Thursday as a dependable investigator who was often smiling.“You will hear his smile come up again and again,” Bartness said. “He had the cheeks, and he was really quick with a smile. Whenever I think about Sean, it’s with a smile on his face. But he wasn’t clownish, and he was not the guy who was always ripping jokes. He was just very good-natured.”Suiter was born and raised in Washington, Davis said. He served in the Army, officials said and lived in York County, Pa. Det. Jonathan Jones was Suiter’s partner in the homicide unit. He was not with him when he was shot.Jones said Suiter loved the Dallas Cowboys. He was known among detectives as “Face;” on the street, citizens knew him as “Scar.” Both referred to a facial scar.Jones was with Suiter recently when someone shouted for Suiter. It was a man Suiter recalled chasing around the Western District. The man was now employed and thanked Suiter for the way he had interacted with him in the past.“This was Suiter — a great guy, and an even better detective,” Jones said.Rick Willard, a retired officer, led a drug squad on which Suiter served.“He was not only a good cop, he was smart and smiled a lot,” he said. “Everyone that worked with him loved him. Even when you were down he would smile with his mischievous smile and make everyone happy and feel at ease.“He is one of the best officers I ever worked with, and it breaks my heart.”Capt. Torran Burrus supervised Suiter at two different points during his career, when he was a drug officer and later when he moved onto a district detective unit.“He had a good keen eye for narcotics activity,” Burrus said.He said Suiter was known for his good nature. The detective had a “contagious smile” and a penchant for cracking jokes.Former Baltimore prosecutor Jeremy Eldridge called Suiter “a man with integrity.”“He was one person you could always count on,” Eldridge said. “Every time I called him, he answered.”Eldridge said he worked with Suiter on many drug cases.“He worked tirelessly to put together very well-thought-out cases,” Eldridge said.Suiter joined the city’s homicide unit in 2015. The first case he closed was the killing of Kendal Fenwick, a young father gunned down in Park Heights. Devante Brim has been charged with first-degree murder in Fenwick’s death. His first trial ended in a mistrial in June. He is scheduled to be tried again next year.Suiter was listed as the arresting detective for Elias Josael Jimenes Alvarado, the Salvadoran national convicted of first-degree murder in the deaths of two women in Northwest Baltimore in 2016. A jury in August found Alvarado guilty in the deaths of Ranarda Williams and Annquinette Dates.Before joining the homicide unit, Suiter worked in the citywide shootings unit, which investigates non-fatal shootings.In an email to the department, Davis said Suiter’s “tragic death will forever impact the BPD.”“Each of you goes out there and put your lives on the line every single day,” Davis wrote. “The importance of your sacrifice and Sean’s can’t be overstated.”

Baltimore Police Detective has Died, Department Seeks 'Heartless, Ruthless, Soulless Killer' in Shooting

Justin Fenton and Kevin Rector This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Contact ReportersThe Baltimore Sun

The Baltimore homicide detective who was shot in the head Wednesday while conducting an investigation has died, police said.

Police identified the officer as Det. Sean Suiter, an 18-year veteran of the city police force and a husband and father of five. In an email to the department, Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said he died surrounded by his family.

“His tragic death will forever impact the BPD,” Davis wrote in the email obtained by The Baltimore Sun. “Each of you go out there and put your lives on the line every single day. The importance of your sacrifice and Sean’s can’t be overstated.”

Baltimore Police and their federal partners continued a massive manhunt Thursday for the suspect. Authorities offered a $69,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Davis said outside of Maryland Shock Trauma that police had “investigative leads” that they were pursuing, but were pleading for anyone with information to come forward.

“My best hunch is more than one or two people know or suspect our killer was involved in this yesterday,” Davis said. “We’re asking those folks to do some soul searching and pick up the phone and give us a call.”

Police say Suiter was shot in a notoriously violent section of the Harlem Park neighborhood of West Baltimore while investigating another killing. An entire city block remained cordoned off Thursday morning as police scoured the area and cadets began canvassing door to door for information.

Mayor Catherine Pugh reiterated Thursday that crime in the city was “out of control,” and asked residents to pray.

“He was well-respected, and he will be very sorely missed by everyone,” Pugh said.

Davis said late Wednesday that Suiter was in the neighborhood doing “followup” on a homicide case when he saw a man engaged in suspicious activity. Suiter attempted to speak to the man, Davis said, and was shot.

A police source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly, said Suiter was in the neighborhood trying to find a witness for a pending case when he and another detective saw someone suspicious in a vacant lot in the middle of the 900 block of Bennett Place.

The two detectives split up, apparently to try to cover different exits of the block when the shooting occurred, the source said.

Davis said that police had encountered evidence to suggest the suspect was injured but did not elaborate. He said police were searching emergency rooms and doctor’s offices for “anyone with an unexplained injury.”

Authorities asked anyone with information to contact the Baltimore FBI office at 1-800-CALL-FBI, Baltimore police detectives at 410-396-2100, or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-LOCK-UP. Tips can also be texted to Baltimore police via 443-902-4824.

The reward is being offered by the Baltimore divisions of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Metro Crime Stoppers.

Gov. Larry Hogan ordered the state flag to be flown at half-staff, and in a statement that the “individual responsible for this heinous crime will be found, charged, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Baltimore Police has our full support as they track down this violent criminal and bring him to justice,” he said.

Suiter’s shooting, which occurred about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, was the second of a law enforcement officer in West Baltimore this month. Sgt. Tony Anthony Mason Jr., 40, a District of Columbia police officer who lived in Baltimore, was shot to death in the 2800 block of Elgin Avenue on Nov. 4. He was off-duty at the time.

The last Baltimore Police officer to die in the line of duty was Officer Craig Chandler, who in November 2014 crashed into a utility pole while pursuing a moped. In 2011, Officer William Torbit was fatally shot in a friendly fire incident while trying to break up a crowd outside a nightclub.

The last city officer fatally shot by a suspect in the line of duty was Officer Troy Chesley, who was off-duty but took action as a suspect attempted to rob him. Chesley’s son, Trayvon, was fatally shot earlier this year.

There have been 309 homicides in Baltimore in 2017, the third straight year of more than 300 killings.

Davis said police remained in Harlem Park trying to find “every bit of evidence” they could to help identify the shooter.

“This is going to be a long night for detectives and investigators,” he said.

Pugh said, “enough is enough.”

“Crime has to come to an end in the city,” she said. “This kind of violence cannot be tolerated.”

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby said she knew Suiter from her work as a trial prosecutor. “I know firsthand his love and passion for serving the citizens of Baltimore and fighting crime. We have lost a true gem today,” she said in a statement Thursday.

Mosby called the shooting an “act of cowardice.” She said she wanted his family to know it would not go unpunished.

“I want them to rest assured that we will do our part to ensure that the perpetrator of this offense is brought to justice,” she said.

Police union president Gene Ryan and Lisa Robinson of the Vanguard Justice Society both asked for the community’s support for police officers to solve not only the shooting of the detective but other violent crimes in the city.

“Your help is necessary for the job that we do,” said Robinson, whose organization represents minority and female officers.

For hours after Suiter was shot Wednesday night, officers maintained a wide perimeter around the 900 block of Bennett Place, with officers taking cover around corners and the police helicopter, Foxtrot, swirling low. Police used the helicopter loudspeaker to tell people to go inside their homes, and a county tactical vehicle arrived later.

The location, just northwest of U.S. 40 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is a particularly violent one. More than a dozen people have been shot or killed there in recent years.

Two people were shot near the corner, one of them fatally, on July 18, and three people were killed in a single incident last December. After a particularly violent spate in 2013, police barricaded the block and stationed an officer there around the clock.

The area was targeted for increased policing again this summer after the separate killings of two 15-year-old boys in August — including one right at the intersection of Bennett and Fremont.

Jeffrey Quick was shot to death on the corner on Aug. 22. Tyrese Davis was killed down the street earlier in the month.

After those killings, Maj. Sheree Briscoe, the Western District commander, said the area would be targeted with increased policing, but also with other city services — the approach Pugh has touted as a holistic way to address crime.

Baltimore Sun reporters Colin Campbell and Talia Richman contributed to this story.

A veteran Baltimore police detective died in the hospital today, one day after he was shot in the head by an unknown gunman, police said.

Homicide detective Sean Suiter, an 18-year veteran with the Baltimore Police, was conducting a follow-up to a homicide investigation around 5 p.m. Wednesday when he saw a man engaging in suspicious activity, police said.

Suiter approached the man and was shot in the head shortly after, police said.

The officer's partner was nearby and rushed over to render aid, they added.

The officer was immediately taken to the hospital and placed on life support, a hospital official said.

Suiter was in "very, very grave condition" Wednesday evening and was fighting "for his life," Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said.

Suiter, 43, died around noon today, authorities said.

He was a married father of five.

Davis said today that Suiter was "a loved guy" who "loved being a cop.

"We have lost our best. When I was a new sgt in the WD, Det Suiter was my rock. He knew his post; colleagues & citizens respected him. He was the man u wanted investigating ur case & patrolling ur neighborhood. Quick with a smile & big of heart, he is dearly missed. RIP, my friend

 

2:42 PM - Nov 16, 2017

 

Officer shot dead after responding to suspicious vehicle was mother, wife, 5-year veteran

As police hunt for his killer, authorities said evidence suggests the suspect may have been wounded.

Davis on Wednesday described the at-large suspect as "cold" and "callous."

"The individual responsible for this heinous crime will be found, charged, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan wrote on Twitter. "The Baltimore Police Department has our full support as they track down this violent criminal and bring him to justice."

"May God bless the brave men and women of the Baltimore Police and all law enforcement who serve and protect us every single day," he added.

The individual responsible for this heinous crime will be found, charged, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. @BaltimorePolice has our full support as they track down this violent criminal and bring him to justice.

9:51 PM - Nov 15, 2017 

 

A $69,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the suspect's arrest.

These are our notes, for our research.. so the following is for admin use

Sean Suiter (October 6, 1974 – November 16, 2017) was a Baltimore City homicide detective who was found dead on November 16, 2017, with a shot in the head, a day before he was scheduled to testify in front of a federal grand jury against corrupt police connected to the Gun Trace Task Force scandal.

Career and background

The funeral for Sean Suiter. Governor Larry Hogan and Mayor Catherine Pugh are in attendance.

Suiter, 43, was an 18-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department. Colleagues have said Suiter was an honest and beloved cop. A neighbor described Suiter saying, "He was pleasant; had a smile on his face all the time. He looks young ... looks vibrant and has a great spirit about him." Suiter was given a hero's funeral and praised for his work as an officer. Former Baltimore police Commissioner Kevin Davis said Suiter was not a target of the federal investigation around the Gun Trace Task Force. Suiter, however, was connected earlier in his career to several members of the corrupt Gun Trace Task Force including Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, Detective Maurice Ward, and Detective Momodu Gondo, who each later pled guilty in the racketeering case. Gondo, a disgraced former detective, also told a jury that Suiter was corrupt and that they stole money together.

Death

Suiter was investigating a triple homicide that occurred a year earlier, when the shooting occurred near 959 Bennett Place, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was shot in the head at close range with his own service weapon, which was recovered under his body. Blood was found on the inside of Suiter's shirt sleeve. Suiter's DNA was found inside the barrel of his own Glock. His death remains unsolved despite a $215,000 reward. Members of an outside review board released a 207-page report and concluded that Suiter was not murdered but took his own life because he was due to testify before a grand jury the next day and staged his death to appear like a murder so his family could receive line of duty benefits in case he lost his job as a result of incriminating details coming to light the grand jury testimony. The review board argued that Suiter was under duress about potentially being tied to corruption through the Gun Trace Task Force case and had "every incentive" to make his suicide appear to be a murder. The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board published a detailed article arguing why the theory that Suiter was murdered was implausible. They concluded by stating: "We have no idea who killed Sean Suiter. Each explanation is as implausible as the next."

City officials, however, have been split about the case. The medical examiner ruled that his death was a homicide. In 2020, Baltimore City made a decision to award $900,000 in workers’ compensation benefits to Suiter's widow Nicole Suiter. Nicole Suiter claimed that the fact that she received this workers' compensation payment is an implicit admission by the city that Suiter was indeed murdered and did not commit suicide, as "You do not win workers’ compensation cases unless you are injured, hurt or killed on the job."

Kevin Davis, the Baltimore Police Commissioner at the time, believed that Suiter was murdered. He asked the FBI to take over the investigation into Suiter’s death. However, the FBI declined, saying it had no evidence to suggest Suiter’s death was “directly connected” to the corruption probe or any other federal case.

The controversy around Suiter's death was once again brought to public attention with HBO's release of We Own This City, a portrayal of the Gun Trace Task Force scandal. The show depicted Suiter staging his suicide to appear like a murder. The show also insinuated that Suiter took his own life because he was afraid of being implicated by his own grand jury testimony. This aroused much anger from Suiter's friends and family who did not believe it was a suicide. David Simon published a rebuttal defending the show's depiction of the events.

Closing of Harlem Park neighborhood

After Suiter was found shot, police cordoned off and put the Harlem Park neighborhood on lockdown for six days. The area included 100 houses, a church and two stores. Described as akin to martial law,[26] officers positioned around the area's perimeter stopped residents, asking them for identification and preventing them from entering their own homes without identification. Members of the community later sued the city for the lockdown alleging that the city violated residents’ constitutional rights. The Baltimore Police Department paid $96,000 to settle the suit and issued a formal apology.

THE STRANGE CASE OF BALTIMORE POLICE DETECTIVE SEAN SUITER

3 June 2020

Jennifer Lewis

The night of Nov. 15, 2017, was cold and brisk on the streets of West Baltimore. Two detectives canvassed the 900 block of Bennett Place near Fremont Avenue, investigating a triple homicide that took place a few years prior. What appeared to be a typical night on the job turned into something much more harrowing as the evening sky grew dark. Two detectives were on the scene, but only one would live to see the next morning.

A 911 call was placed at 4:36 PM by Detective David Bomenka, a junior homicide detective of the Baltimore Police Department. His frantic call indicated that his partner on the case, Detective Sean Suiter, had been shot and needed immediate assistance. In less than 24 hours, Suiter was pronounced dead at the University of Maryland Medical Center — but the questions of that fateful afternoon continue to haunt the residents of Baltimore.

Suiter was an 18-year veteran homicide detective with a golden reputation amongst his peers. The Washington, D.C., native was a dedicated husband and devoted father who made it his life’s mission to better the streets of Baltimore. The shock of Suiter’s death stunned the city as details began to emerge surrounding the investigation.

The most shocking revelation of all?

Suiter died the day before he was scheduled to testify in a federal case, indicting eight officers of the Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF). The task force was set in place to monitor the overwhelming amount of gun violence plaguing the streets of Baltimore. Instead, the involved officers used it to glorify their power by robbing citizens, wrongfully planting fake evidence, and time theft — clocking in when they weren’t working. Suiter was involved in a 2010 arrest made by members of the GTTF, who knowingly planted heroin on a suspect. Suiter was expected to testify his witness account, as he too was misled by the arresting officers during the encounter.

Suiter died one day before he was set to testify in a federal case indicting eight officers of the Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF). Original illustration by Lenny Miller/Coffee or Die.

Suiter died the day before he was scheduled to testify in a federal case indicting eight officers of the Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force. Original illustration by Lenny Miller/Coffee or Die.

The Baltimore Police Commissioner was quick to rule out any foul play connecting the shooting to Suiter’s upcoming Grand Jury court date, but the city of Baltimore was not convinced.

Bomenka’s recollection of the day also placed doubt in the minds of those close to the case. He claimed that Suiter had spotted a suspicious person in a vacant lot off Bennett Place. Suiter instructed Bomenka to wait at the corner while he investigated the area. Within minutes, the sounds of gunfire filled the air, and Suiter was on the pavement with a gunshot wound to the head. There wasn’t a trace as to who attacked him.

Suiter’s gun, three shell casings, and the bullet responsible for ending his life were all recovered at the crime scene. The only description of the suspect described an African American male wearing a black jacket with a white stripe. There were no surveillance cameras in the alleyway, no witnesses, and no additional evidence. The case had no leads or persons of interest, leaving the family of Sean Suiter without answers as to who was behind this heinous and deliberate murder.

By early 2018, the case was at a standstill, with all tips investigated and all leads exhausted. In an effort to solve Suiter’s case, the Baltimore Police Department commissioned an independent review board (IRB). The board reviewed the accounts made on the night of his death, as well as the following investigation.

Their findings shocked Suiter’s family, the entire force, and the city of Baltimore as the report concluded that Suiter’s cause of death was not murder after all — it was suicide.

The IRB’s conclusion centered around Suiter’s upcoming court date, leveraging his testimony against the GTTF as the sole reason he would take his life. They also argued that the fact that he was shot with his own gun posed enough evidence for suicide as Suiter was well-trained in self-defense and was proficient in using and disabling his service weapon. Despite Bomenka’s statements indicating Suiter was approaching a suspicious person, there was no indication that anyone else was with Suiter in the vacant lot on Nov. 15, 2017.

This new finding was met with controversy. The medical examiner who conducted Suiter’s autopsy, as well as Baltimore’s city attorney, cast doubt on the report’s cause of death. The Suiter family also rejected the claim, as did their family attorney. They argued that not enough had been done during the investigation, including full testing on the weapon used, which contained DNA from Suiter and a partial strand from an unknown assailant.

Despite efforts made on behalf of Suiter’s family, friends, and attorney, the Baltimore Police Department accepted the IRB’s findings. In November 2019, just days before the second anniversary of his death, Suiter’s case was closed, and his cause of death was ruled a suicide.

Suiter’s family has continued to publicly criticize the handling of the case, believing his death to be the result of an inside job. As of May 2020, there have been no additional findings, coverage, or information to support their claim. All that remains is the memory of a hard-working detective, dedicated father, and devoted husband whose too-short life made an incredible impact on his community and on those who loved him. 

Coffee or Die Magazine | The Strange Case of Baltimore Police Detective Sean Suiter

What Have People Said About Sean Suiter's Death?

30 May 2022

BY ROXY SIMONS 

Detective Sean Suiter's death while on duty on November 16, 2017 remains a matter of contention to this day.

The Baltimore Police Department detective died from a gunshot wound to the head the day before he was due to testify in court in the Gun Trace Task Force case, whose corruption scandal is explored in HBO's We Own This City.

Suiter was shot after he darted into a vacant lot in a neighborhood in West Baltimore. Police later claimed Suiter was shot with his own gun which was found underneath his body, per the Baltimore Sun, and his death was officially ruled a homicide by a medical examiner.

However, an Independent Review Board that later investigated Suiter's death labelled his death a suicide, something his family have vehemently refuted.

What Have People Said About Sean Suiter's Death?

Sean Suiter and Jamie Hector

In this combination image, Detective Sean Suiter (R) and actor Jamie Hector who plays Sean in the show "We Own This City." Sean Suiter, Baltimore detective was killed with his own gun just one day before he was set to testify before a federal grand jury in a case involving other officers, 2017.

In the We Own This City finale, which aired on Monday, May 30, Suiter's death is depicted in such a way that it does not give a definitive answer as to whether his passing was a homicide or a suicide.

This was something actor Jamie Hector, who portrays Suiter, appreciated about the HBO show, and he told Newsweek: "I feel like the show talks about exactly what it knows about, you know... this is what happened with Sean up until the point that we don't know what happened to Sean.

"Because we don't know if he took the money, because we don't know if this happened, everybody has their own opinion as to what happened. There was a study that was shown leaning in specific directions, right?

"For me personally, because, you know, there was not an eyewitness to the situation and he has a family that has to live with it as well, they did a great job of telling the story as to what happened to Sean."

Letting the Viewers Decide

The show's co-creator David Simon added: "I think for the sake of viewers we should just let people experience what the known moments are, what was witnessed, and let people decide as they will.

"If you're asking me individually... I think fundamentally, once you read the independent reviews, once you walk the ground, once you talk to the investigators, once you look at what was in that file, and what reasons they had for being out there, and what the physical evidence is, this man took his own life.

"It's not as satisfying, it's not as dramatic as the idea of him being assassinated because he was going to testify in front of the grand jury, or all the other narratives that you could possibly conjure, but it's the one that actually fits the evidence."

 

Baltimore Police Detective Died by Suicide, Report Says.

Darran Simon Janet DiGiacomo

By Darran Simon and Janet DiGiacomo, CNN

30 August 2018

A Baltimore police detective who officials initially said was fatally shot in a struggle with a suspect actually took his own life with his service weapon, according to an independent report released Tuesday.

Sean Suiter, 43, was shot in the head with his own gun November 15 in a vacant lot in West Baltimore, police said.

The fatal shooting occurred the day before Suiter, a homicide detective, was scheduled to testify before a federal grand jury in a police corruption case involving fellow officers. Then-Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said at the time that a brief call Suiter made on his police radio occurred during a struggle with a killer.

Detective Sean Suiter

Suiter’s death led to a manhunt, 12 search warrants, 123 interviews and a reward of more than $200,000 for the capture of the suspected gunman.

By early 2018, Baltimore police had exhausted all leads, and so commissioned an independent review of the homicide investigation, the circumstances surrounding the shooting and lessons from that day, according to the report.

The Independent Review Board said the lack of defensive wounds on Suiter’s knuckles, hands or arms, along with the presence of shell casings from Suiter’s Glock service weapon at the scene and the officer’s DNA inside the barrel of the gun and on its surface helped the board reach the conclusion that Suiter took his own life.

Suiter was right-handed, and the bullet entered from the right side of his head, the report said. Blood spatter was found inside his right sleeve cuff, it said.

“It is most implausible that anyone other than Detective Suiter could have fired the fatal shot with his weapon,” the report said.

Baltimore residents “should not fear that a ‘cop killer’ is on the loose,” the report said.

The report also criticized the statements of Davis, who initially said that Suiter approached a man “acting suspiciously” and then was killed. There was no evidence to support that conclusion, the report said.

“The commissioner repeatedly shared unverified and ultimately inaccurate information with the public, despite the emergence of forensic and other evidence suggesting that Suiter took his own life,” it said.

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh ousted Davis in January, saying the city wasn’t reducing violence fast enough.

Davis could not be reached for comment Tuesday and Wednesday.

What the report found

The seven-member board, which includes former law enforcement members, reviewed material including witness videos, radio and 911 transmissions and footage from a neighborhood camera on the day of the shooting.

Neither Paul Siegrist, an attorney for Suiter’s widow, nor the detective’s union, the Fraternal Order of Police, could be reached for comment Tuesday.

Gary Tuggle, Baltimore’s interim police commissioner who took over in May, said police will integrate the independent board’s recommendations into the department’s reform efforts, and expressed his condolences to Suiter’s family.

“My hope is that Detective Suiter’s family will see some clarity as a result of this report as they continue to mourn,” Tuggle said.

Tuggle said “the case remains an open investigation within the police department.” The medical examiner’s office, which has a copy of the report “would be the entity to make any determination with respect to changing [the] manner of death, not the police department,” Tuggle said.

Bruce Goldfarb, a spokesman for the medical examiner’s office said Wednesday: “We don’t discuss cases that are under investigation.”

A month before Suiter’s death, the report said, a detective with the department’s now defunct Gun Trace Task Force pleaded guilty to felony charges in a corruption probe and implicated Suiter in robberies in 2008 when they were both officers. That detective said Suiter “knowingly planted heroin in a suspect’s car to justify a high-speed police chase” that led to an accident killing an elderly driver, the report said.

Suiter declined to be interviewed by the FBI in the corruption investigation and was served a grand jury subpoena, the report said. “Suiter was reported to have asked the FBI agents ‘(W)ill I lose my job?’ ” the report said.

Suiter, who was considered a subject of the investigation, was granted limited immunity for all potential criminal acts arising from that incident, the report said.

These undated photos provided by the Baltimore Police Department show, from left, Daniel Hersl, Evodio Hendrix, Jemell Rayam, Marcus Taylor, Maurice Ward, Momodu Gando and Wayne Jenkins, the seven police officers who are facing charges of robbery, extortion and overtime fraud, and are accused of stealing money and drugs from victims, some of whom had not committed crimes.

7 Baltimore officers accused of abusing power, robbing citizens

The day before the shooting, Suiter requested David Bomenka, a “very junior” detective, accompany him to a West Baltimore neighborhood to find a potential witness, known only as “Mary,” in a triple homicide Suiter investigated nearly a year earlier, the report said.

The two detectives returned to the neighborhood the next day and began searching for a suspicious person Suiter said he had seen, the report said.

During the search, Suiter’s attorney called him twice because they were scheduled to meet later that day. But Suiter did not pick up.

At one point during the search, Suiter made a waving gesture to Bomenka, unholstered his weapon and ran toward a vacant lot, out of view of surveillance cameras and Bomenka, the report said.

Bomenka said he heard Suiter yell, “Stop! Stop! Stop! Police!” He also heard gunshots as he approached Suiter, the report said. During this time, Suiter’s radio transmitted an “unintelligible sound,” then a loud noise and then went dead, the report said.

Bomenka, who was roughly 60 feet behind Suiter when he went into the lot, didn’t see a shooter but saw “gun smoke hovering close to the ground where Suiter was located,” it said.

The actions that led to Suiter’s death occurred in “less than nine seconds,” according to the report.

“Video from a neighbor’s video camera and testimony of two witnesses establish that a suspect would have had a couple of seconds at most to disarm Suiter, shoot him with his own weapon, erase any trace of his presence, and exit the vacant lot without being seen or heard,” the report said.

Suiter was found face down, holding his radio in his left hand with his gun underneath him, the report said. His was the only DNA recovered from his gun, it said.

Blood splatter found inside Suiter’s right sleeve meant it must have been exposed to where the bullet entered his skull at the moment he was shot, the report said.

The 18-year officer, a married father of five children, was pronounced dead the next day.

In addition to determining Suiter was not killed by an unknown suspect, the report also put to rest another theory, saying Suiter “was not killed by his partner Detective Bomenka.”

“Detective Sean Suiter spent the last hour of his life ignoring his attorney’s calls and texts,” the report said.

Instead, he drove around the neighborhood “ostensibly looking for a mysterious ‘Mary’ and perhaps another mystery suspect,” the report said.

“He had a meeting at 5 p.m. to prepare to face his difficult choice before the grand jury” – admit guilt and lose his job, or deny wrongdoing and possibly face charges, the report said. “Time was running out. Suiter’s futile searches may have signaled a quiet desperation before a final, tragic decision.”

Name	Description
End of Watch	16 November 2017
City, St.	Bennett Place and N. Fremont Avenue
Panel Number	N/A
Cause of Death	Gunfire
Weapon	- Handgun
District Worked	Homicide

POLICE INFORMATION

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Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll 

Lt. Walter A. Taylor
CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO

 

April 20, 2003

Suddenly, on April 17, 2003, LT. WALTER A. TAYLOR Jr., Baltimore City Police Dept.; beloved husband of Elizabeth E. (Betsy) Taylor; devoted father of Heather Lynn Everhart (nee Taylor) and her husband Steve; loving grandfather of Brandon Corey and Jacob Taylor; dear son-in-law of Lucille Rogers. Also survived by four sisters. Friends are invited to call at the family owned and operated McCULLY-POLYNIAK FUNERAL HOME, P.A., 3204 Mountain Road (Pasadena) on Monday from 2 to 9 P.M. Funeral Services will be celebrated on Tuesday 12 noon at the Funeral Home. Interment Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. Memorials in his name to the American Heart Association, 7240 Parkway Drive, Suite 360, Hanover, MD 21076, will be appreciated.

 

More Details

Name	Description
End of Watch	17 April 2003
City, St.	Baltimore, Md
Panel Number	N/A
Cause of Death	Heart Attack

 

 

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Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department. Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. follow us on Twitter @BaltoPoliceHist or like us on Facebook or mail pics to 8138 Dundalk Ave. Baltimore Md. 21222

Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll 

Copies of: Your Baltimore Police Department Class Photo, Pictures of our Officers, Vehicles, Equipment, Newspaper Articles relating to our department and or officers, Old Departmental Newsletters, Lookouts, Wanted Posters, and or Brochures. Information on Deceased Officers and anything that may help Preserve the History and Proud Traditions of this agency. Please contact Retired Detective Kenny Driscoll.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

NOTICE

How to Dispose of Old Police Items

Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.

Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. follow us on Twitter @BaltoPoliceHist or like us on Facebook or mail pics to 8138 Dundalk Ave. Baltimore Md. 21222

Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll