A retired Baltimore police lieutenant working in Mount Vernon yesterday shot and killed a man who apparently threatened him with a sharp object during a robbery attempt, police said.
The shooting occurred about 11:30 a.m. in the 900 block of
Lovegrove St., an alley between St. Paul and Charles streets, near the back of a parking lot.
People walking along Charles Street in the neighborhood of antique shops, restaurants and upscale apartments had a clear view of the crime scene and the victim's body, sprawled face down across the alley.
Kirk Thomas Gardner, 26, of the 600 block of W. Lafayette Ave., was identified by family members, said Officer Sabrina V. Tapp-Harper, a police spokeswoman. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Homicide detectives questioned several witnesses yesterday afternoon at police headquarters, and the retired lieutenant, Jeffrey Wright, 48, she said. Police said Mr. Wright, who also was questioned yesterday by homicide investigators, left the force three years ago.
The state's attorney's office will review the case after the holiday weekend to see whether criminal charges should be filed or whether the case can be ruled a justifiable homicide, Officer Tapp-Harper said. No charges were filed yesterday.
She said Mr. Wright told investigators that he was standing against a fence, lighting a cigar, when Mr. Gardner, holding a "sharp-bladed object," ran up to him, demanded money and shouted profanities.
Mr. Wright told detectives that he shot Mr. Gardner twice with his 9 mm semiautomatic handgun, Officer Tapp-Harper said. Mr. Gardner -- wearing green pants, a plaid shirt and a leather jacket -- fell face down to the pavement, his legs crossed, still clutching the weapon in his right hand.
Police said they will test the gun and wait for an autopsy, which probably will be performed today, to confirm how many times Mr. Gardner was shot. More shots could have been fired, but Mr. Gardner appeared to have been struck twice in the abdomen, Officer Tapp-Harper said. Mr. Wright, she said, was working at a job that required him
to be armed, but she would not be more specific until detectives confirmed the information he had provided. Mr. Wright had a permit for the gun, she said.
According to three people who said they saw part of the incident, Mr. Gardner fell to his knees, still holding the weapon after being hit once, and was shot again.
Christy Law, 22, said she watched the end of the incident through a baywindow at a Charles Street advertising firm where she works. "The only thing I saw was a man go down to his knees with his hands up in front of him," Ms. Law said, adding that the shooter kept aiming at the man's chest. "It looked like he discharged the gun again."