Baltimore Officer Shot, Suspect Denied Bail

BALTIMORE, MD — A Windsor Mill man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with the shooting of a police officer in west Baltimore over the weekend, according to authorities. The officer remains hospitalized Monday afternoon, police said.

Christopher Earl, 30, of the 3500 block of Ellen Road, is being held without bail as of Monday, court records show.

He was arrested Sunday when police had been called to break up a large party in the Sandtown-Winchester area around 3:15 a.m., officials said.

As the crowd was dispersing in the 2300 block of Winchester Street, police said an officer saw an SUV with a damaged front tire speed into a parking lot. Upon engaging the driver, the officer determined the driver was armed. When the two began to struggle over the weapon, the police officer's partner intervened and tried to get the gun, officials reported.

Amid the struggle, the police officer who initially engaged with Earl was shot, police said.

Earl was arrested, and a handgun was found at the scene, police said. According to authorities, both officers had on body-worn cameras, and it was unclear whether they fired their service weapons.

The wounded officer is a 20-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department who served the National Guard for more than 20 years, police said.

Earl has been charged with the following:

• Attempted first- and second-degree murder
• First-and second-degree assault
• Using a firearm in a felony crime
• Having a handgun on one's person
• Having a loaded handgun on one's person
• Having a handgun in a vehicle
• Having a loaded handgun in a vehicle
• Transporting a handgun within 100 yards of a school
• Having a handgun in a vehicle within 100 yards of a school
• Discharging a firearm in city limits

Earl is being held at the Central Booking and Intake Facility.

The officer was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center for surgery.