An off-duty Baltimore police detective, taking part in the Canton nightlife on the eve of his birthday Saturday, was killed after being struck in the head after an argument, police said. He would have turned 38 today.
Brian Stevenson, an 18-year veteran, was pronounced dead at Johns Hopkins Bayview not long after he was attacked in the 2800 block of Hudson St. at about 10 p.m. Acting on witness descriptions, police located several suspects and expected to charge them.
Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III told reporters outside the hospital that the argument was "incredibly petty."
"It's an incredible tragedy for the family, for all of us," said Bealefeld, who spoke with Stevenson's family members along with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. "The city's losing.. we're losing a fantastic detective who works to make people safe in this city. It's just senseless."
Bealefeld said Stevenson was having dinner with a longtime friend at a Canton club when they got into an argument in a parking lot, reportedly over a parking space. Crime scene technicians were processing evidence in the parking lot of a Mercy Medical Center eye care clinic at 2801 Hudson Street.
Police said the suspect picked up an object - a rock or piece of concrete - and hurled it at Stevenson, striking him in the right temple and causing him to fall to the ground.
Stevenson lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The suspect and other "persons of interest" were located at a downtown club, police said.
"We're confident that the culprit in this case will be charged before the day is over," Bealefeld said.
Stevenson is the first city officer to be killed in an attack since January 9, 2007, when Officer Troy Chesley was fatally shot during a robbery while he was off-duty.
Last month, Officer James Fowler died after losing control of his vehicle while driving to a training program in Pennsylvania.
"This is the second funeral we've had to go through in a month or so," Bealefeld said.
Stevenson was featured in a 1994 Afro article about the first class of officers to graduate under the then-new police commissioner, Thomas Frazier. His mother beamed with pride when discussing her son.
Outside the emergency room entrance at Hopkins Bayview on Saturday night and into Sunday morning, dozens of officers in uniform or street clothes stood solemnly. There was little discussion, and they frequently embraced each other. One officer said many of the others were angry.
As one group walked to their cars to head home, they each shook hands.
"Be safe," they said to each other.
At the scene, neighbor Tricia Zebron said that the neighborhood is typically chaotic on weekends. She said parking spots are hard to come by - her car was parked in the same lot where Stevenson was attacked, though there are "private parking" signs posted.
"It's a circus every weekend here," she said.
There are a number of bars in the area, which is residential. Two of them offer valet service.
The driver of a limo parked outside the nearby Clutch sports lounge said he didn't see or hear the commotion from the attack, but he noted that he was an off-duty Prince George's County police officer. "It hurts," he said of news that a fellow law enforcement officer had been killed.
[Clarification: In an earlier version of this story, police said Stevenson had been stabbed. Police now say that was incorrect.]