An Internal Revenue Service investigation turned bloody yesterday in Highlandtown, as city police shot a man who was being questioned by federal agents and was wanted on an unrelated warrant.
Oscar Paul Dulaney III pulled out a .38-caliber handgun and pointed it at two plainclothes city officers at the National Tax Preparation Center in the 3400 block of Eastern Ave., police said. One of the officers drew his gun and shot Mr. Dulaney in the head, said Officer Robert W. Weinhold Jr., a police department spokesman.
Mr. Dulaney, 29, of the 900 block of Kinwat Ave. in Essex, was in critical condition at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center last night.
Yesterday morning, he was being questioned by four IRS officers at the tax preparation center, a privately owned business.
It is unclear whether Mr. Dulaney was a customer or an employee of the business.
Neither the IRS nor the owners of the business would comment.
"He was there because he was being interviewed during the process of an investigation by the IRS," Officer Weinhold said.
The IRS officers received a tip that there was a warrant for Mr. Dulaney's arrest, so they called city police.
Mr. Dulaney was wanted for a probation violation, Officer Weinhold said. But according to District Court records, a warrant for Mr. Dulaney's arrest was issued in early 1994, after he failed to appear in court on a minor theft charge.
Officials could not resolve the discrepancy last night.
Two plainclothes officers, Timothy Brietenback, 30, and Nicholas Louloudis, 31, responded from the warrant control/fugitive apprehension team of the city's Southeast District. Both officers have been on the force for 12 years, Officer Weinhold said.
Officer Brietenback shot Mr. Dulaney about 11 a.m., Officer Weinhold said.
The incident is still under investigation, he said.
City police have shot at least three people, including Mr. Dulaney, in little over a week.
Last Wednesday, after a brief chase in Northwest Baltimore, police wounded a man suspected in two killings. The day before, an officer shot and killed a motorist in Southwest Baltimore after the man sped away from a traffic stop, dragging the officer.