(TANEYTOWN, MD) – A Carroll County man armed with a hammer and acting disorderly was fatally wounded by a Taneytown Police Department officer when he failed to surrender and advanced threateningly at the officer.
The man is identified as Edward L. Becker, Jr., 26, of the unit-block of Commerce Drive, Taneytown, Md. He was pronounced dead at the Carroll Hospital Center.
The officer involved is a four and one-half year veteran of the Taneytown Police Department. He is not being identified at this time by Chief William Tyler. He has been placed on routine administrated leave by Chief Tyler, which is procedure in police-involved shootings.
Chief Tyler requested the police-involved shooting be investigated by the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit. Investigators from the Homicide Unit, the Westminster Barrack, and State Police crime scene technicians responded to the scene to process evidence and conduct the investigation.
The preliminary investigation indicates that shortly after 8:30 p.m. yesterday, the parents of Becker called 911 and reported he had been drinking and was acting disorderly. Becker’s father reported his son was smashing windows out of his truck with a hammer.
Three Taneytown Police Department officers responded to the area of the address on Commerce Street. They saw Becker walking down the street toward them. They exited their vehicles and began shouting commands to Becker to drop the hammer and surrender. Becker continued to approach. The officers, who were all in uniform and marked patrol cars, retreated down the street and positioned themselves behind their police cars.
The investigation indicates the officers continued to shout commands to Becker to drop the hammer and surrender. Becker ignored the commands and continued to approach the officers. He approached to approximately within arm’s length of an officer and raised the hammer.
In fear for his life, the officer fired his .40 caliber Glock 22 department issued pistol. He was the only officer on the scene who fired his pistol. Becker was struck in the upper torso and stopped his advance.
Officers immediately administered emergency care and summoned EMS personnel. Becker was transported to Carroll Hospital Center.
The investigation is continuing. Upon completion, it will be forwarded to the Carroll County State's Attorney's Office for review.
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23 comments:
Shot over a hammer? That's what you get when you hire sissy cops.
Joe, I told you in another post that it's obvious to me we need to ban hammers....how much more terror do we need to go through as a society?!?!?!?!
couldn't get a gun so he used a hammer?
Attack a cop with a hammer and you deserve to get shot. Good shot, next story.
621, when I am beating your head in with a hammer, at what point will you decide that it may be appropriate to respond with some sort of resistance? 5 minutes? 10? Maybe a half hour?
I just need to know so I CAN WRITE IT IN TO THE NINCOMPOOP SURVIVAL MANUAL.
Attack a cop with a hammer and you deserve to get shot. Good shot, next story.
December 26, 2012 8:11 PM
Shouldn't that be "Attack ANYONE with a hammer and you deserve to be shot"?
Outlaw hammers!
Guess they don't have tasers or pepper spray. Save them for the college students.
All hammers must be registered and a full background check on purchasers along with a 10 day waiting period, or "Cooling off" time. Hammers over 16 OZ. will be banned, only 8 OZ. hammers can be bought.
Great shot. The officer deserves an award. I am sick and tired of reading where the officer only wounded the criminal.
6:21 I bet you wouldn't call that cop or any cop a sissy to his face. My guess is that you posted that as anonymous so you are thr sissy.
6:21 I bet you wouldn't call that cop or any cop a sissy to his face. My guess is that you posted that as anonymous so you are thr sissy.
December 26, 2012 9:58 PM
Are you a cop, or anyone for that matter, with a napoleon complex?
That is to say, do you have questions about your manliness? Why would such a comment bother anyone, unless he felt it was directed at him personally? Or believed it himself.
Most people pick their battles a little better than that so I think you do have issues, with at least your self esteem.
Of course, I could be wrong.
If these are the facts, sounds like a clean shoot.
What about the chain saw massacre?
next thing you know someone might use a crowbar as a weapon. what is this world coming to???
If someone raised a hammer at me within arms length and I had a gun in my possession , I'd shoot too.
All hammers in Taneytown will need to be registered.
Or maybe we should have a turn in your hammer amnesty day.
Yeah thats it..
Good shot officer. You did the right thing.
A taser and pepper spray are a step BELOW a hammer in the use of force continuum. A hammer used as the one in this scenario is a dangerous and deadly weapon. Good shoot! Good shot!
BAN ALL HAMMERS!!!
Maybe it was an air hammer.
1:22 PM
Nope an air head shooter.
Liberal Media Reports: This hammer once used by the criminal to commit crime, becomes the Assault Hammer and needs to be banned along with guns, kitchen knives, scissors, chain saws, baseball bats, loose bricks and .....uhm, anything else?
Some people should not be armed 9:58 PM. For they have no control over their emotions. Every shooting story has the saying approached in threatening manner, felt threatened, stood in fighting stance ect. You know these cover your a$$ claims are in the report to justify the end results. Bet the father has second thoughts now about calling the cops. For what ever it's worth, the cops are not your friend. the times have changed.
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