By Brianna Davis
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
A Baltimore County police officer was injured and a suspect was killed last Wednesday when the suspect allegedly pointed a gun at officers as they entered his Parkville home, police said.
Police said the officers were responding to a 911-call from the suspect claiming that there was a subject with a gun in his home. However, when officers arrived at the house in the 3000 block of Linwood Avenue, they found only the suspect inside.
Officers instructed the man, 76-year-old Robert Uhl Johnson, to keep his arms in the air, police said. They said Johnson then lowered his right hand, picked up a handgun and pointed it at officers and said, “I’m sorry I have to do this.”
Four officers fired their weapons in response, police said. It was later determined that Johnson’s gun was not loaded, according to police. Police did not say how one of its officers was shot.
Officer T. Hays, a 13 ½-year veteran, was reportedly in stable condition at R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma after suffering a gunshot wound to the upper body.
The other three officers have been identified as J. Hummel, an 18-year veteran, A. Burns, a 17-year veteran, and J. Deford, a 10-year veteran.
All four officers are currently on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated. Only Hays had a prior police-involved shooting, police said, that one in 2008.
Police said that officers saw Johnson sitting in a chair in his house when they first arrived. According to the police report, the officers attempted to communicate with Johnson, but he refused to leave his chair.
Police said that the dispatcher who took Johnson’s original 911-call had attempted to gather more information from him during that conversation but that Johnson had hung up on them. Police said they made multiple attempts to reach Johnson by phone but that he did not answer or call them back.