Baltimore Police Officer Dies From Gunshot To Head: UPDATE

BALTIMORE, MD — A homicide detective has died after he was shot in the head in west Baltimore Wednesday while investigating a 2016 murder, according to Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis. Detective Sean Suiter, 43, leaves behind a wife and five children, according to Davis.

He was a former Navy officer who was from Washington, D.C. and lived in Pennsylvania with his family, officials said.

The shooting occurred in the area of Bennett Place before 5 p.m. on Wednesday while Suiter and another homicide detective were following up on an investigation. Suiter saw a man "engaged in suspicious behaviors," Davis said.

He got out of his car and "went to engage our suspect in conversation" when a confrontation ensued and he suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, Davis said. At the time of the shooting, Suiter was dressed as all homicide detectives are, in a "full suit, tie, badge displayed on his waistband," Davis said.

The police commissioner said the shooter may have been wounded. "We're obviously searching emergency rooms, doctor's offices [for] anyone who has an unexplained injury...anything can help," Davis said, asking the public to submit tips that could lead to the killer.

• Baltimore Officer Shot In Head, Reward Offered: BPD

Suiter was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Another homicide detective who was with him in the vicinity came to his aid immediately and got him to shock trauma, Davis said.

Suiter died around noon on Thursday, according to officials.

The suspect is at large, and officers are searching the area. Dozens of police cadets canvassed the vicinity of the shooting on Thursday morning. On Friday, federal and local authorities were scouring the area's vacant rowhouses for evidence, and Davis said that the search would likely continue through the weekend.

"The callous murder of our brother and friend, Detective Sean Suiter, has broken our hearts," Baltimore FOP President Gene Ryan said in a statement. "We grieve for his loss, and for the pain and suffering that will be endured by his family and friends. Rest assured, however, that this has not broken our collective spirit and we will continue to do the work that Sean loved, and do it with the same integrity and commitment that he exemplified."

There is a reward of $169,000 offered for information leading to the arrest of the shooting suspect. The DEA has partnered with Baltimore Police and the FBI in offering the reward, along with Metro Crime Stoppers and the state of Maryland. People may text tips to 443-902-4824 or call police at 410-396-2100.

Watch: Baltimore Detective Shot, Hunt For Suspect Underway

This is the second police officer to be shot in west Baltimore in as many weeks. An off-duty Metropolitan Police Department sergeant was killed in a shooting in Baltimore earlier this month; Sgt. Tony Anthony Mason Jr., 40, was shot while sitting in a car Nov. 4.

• Off-Duty D.C. Police Sergeant Killed In Baltimore Shooting: Cops
• Baltimore Officer Shot In Head, $64K Reward Offered: BPD

Photo of Detective Sean Suiter by Baltimore Police Department, courtesy of Officer Down Memorial Page.