Howard County police shot and killed a man Saturday who they said broke into his estranged wife's house in Elkridge and then fought with officers when they arrived at the scene.
Police identified the slain suspect as William Tucker Mathis, 41. They did not release the names of the officers involved in the incident and said it was unclear how many fired at Mathis.
Police were called at 8:52 a.m. to the home in the 6300 block of Woodland Forest Drive for a domestic incident after a woman told a 911 dispatcher her estranged husband was at the house. Police said the woman told them that she had a protective order against him and that he was using PCP.
Dispatchers heard the woman shouting for help and then heard the phone drop, police said.
Officers said they arrived on the scene and found the rear glass door shattered. As they entered the home, the man confronted them and started to fight, police said.
"When they made entry into the house, they made confrontation with the suspect and he was violent," said Howard County police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn.
Police said the man choked one officer and fought with two others in a struggle that put holes in the wall and lasted for a "number of minutes" before police shot the man.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Mathis' official address was not the home.
Two officers were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening. Police said one was being treated for injuries sustained as he was being choked; another was being examined for a possible concussion. A third officer who entered the home was not hurt.
The woman and three children who were inside the home were uninjured.
Alok Mohanty, who lives a few houses away from, said county and state police have visited the home several times in the past year. Llewellyn said she could not immediately confirm if police had made previous visits.
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Mohanty said he was outside his house Saturday morning, moving items out of his SUV, when officers arrived at the cul-de-sac.
He said officers drew their weapons and instructed him to get on the ground with his hands behind his back. He said they asked his name, and when he complied they moved on to the house where the call originated.
Howard County police currently do not wear body cameras, though the department is undertaking a study of their possible use.
Baltimore and Baltimore County police have begun equipping officers with body cameras. Last week Baltimore County police released video of a man with a knife being shot by an officer — the first time the agency has released body camera footage. The man is expected to recover.
In November, Baltimore police released footage of an incident in which a man waving knives was shot and wounded by officers.
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