Frederick Police Department officers fatally shot a wanted man who brandished a knife when police found him hiding in a closet Saturday evening, according to investigators from the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, which is probing the shooting.
Authorities have not yet identified the man, who was wanted for a probation violation warrant and sought by police at an apartment on the 1500 block of North East Street in Frederick at about 6:20 p.m. Saturday, the attorney general’s office said in a news release.
A resident at the apartment denied that the wanted man was there but allowed officers to search the residence, where they found the man in a closet. He was armed with a knife, according to the release.
“Officers gave multiple commands for the individual to drop the knife. He did not,” Frederick Police Chief Jason Lando said at a Saturday night news conference, which was livestreamed and posted online.
The man then rapidly moved toward one of the officers with the knife held out in front of him, according to the release.
“Subsequently, officers fired shots,” Lando said.
The man was later declared dead at the scene.
“It is important to note that officers immediately after firing shots began to render aid,” Lando said. “They did everything they could to resuscitate the male, but his injuries were too severe.”
The attorney general’s office’s Independent Investigations Division, which handles inquiries of fatal encounters with police in Maryland, said in the release that two officers had fired shots, and all responding officers were wearing body cameras. The agency usually releases body camera footage within 14 days of a police-involved death and usually releases the names of the person who died and involved officers within 48 hours.