The Prince George's County Police Department Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Laurel resident Pfc. Adrian Morris, who died in a police pursuit on Interstate 95 on Aug. 20, 2012.
Morris, who was 23 at the time of his death, was born in Jamaica but was raised in Laurel. Before becoming a police officer, Morris served five years as a police explorer. The two-year veteran of the police force was assigned to District VI station during the majority of his career.
On Aug. 20, 2012, officers were dispatched to the Shell gas station at 6600 Sandy Spring Road in Laurel for an attempted theft from an automobile, according to police.
As officers were on the scene interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence, a gas station employee noticed the suspect vehicle returning to the gas station, police said.
Morris drove after the vehicle, which fled, and followed it on to Interstate 95, police said. In the pursuit, Morris swerved to avoid striking another vehicle causing him to leave the road and strike a guardrail, police said. Morris suffered critical injuries, and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.