Baltimore Officer Killed, $190K Reward Offered

BALTIMORE, MD — A homicide detective was shot in the head and severely injured in west Baltimore Wednesday night, according to the Baltimore Police Department. He is an 18-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department who was conducting a follow-up investigation related to a homicide case.

The officer, identified as 43-year-old Detective Kevin Suiter, was pronounced deceased midday on Thursday, officials said.

• Baltimore Police Officer Killed In Shooting: UPDATE
  

The officer saw a man "engaged in suspicious behaviors," Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said. When the policeman approached the man "to engage him in conversation" before 5 p.m., Davis said the officer was shot in the head and taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Another homicide detective who was with him in the immediate vicinity came to his aid immediately and got him to shock trauma, Davis said.

The wounded officer has a wife and children and was in "very grave condition," Davis said at a press conference at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

The suspect is at large, and officers are searching the area.

The commissioner described the shooter as a "callous coward with a gun in his hand."

The investigation is "fluid" and "complex," Davis said, adding that officers were still at the scene of the crime collecting evidence and working to ensure "that the shooter is nowhere nearby," with a long night of work ahead of them.

The shooting occurred on Bennett Place near Fremont Avenue, according to WBAL. Neighbors told the TV station that they heard at least four gunshots.

The officer is on life support in the intensive care unit, Dr. Thomas M. Scalea, the physician-in-chief at shock trauma, reported at the 9 p.m. press conference. "We are doing everything we can to keep him stabilized and to care of the injury to his brain," Scalea said.

"He is well known to us," Scalea said of the detective. "He's a friend, he's a colleague and sadly, now he's a patient."

There is a reward of $190,000 offered for information leading to the arrest of the shooting suspect. The DEA, ATF and FBI have partnered with Baltimore Police in offering the reward, along with Metro Crime Stoppers. People may text tips to 443-902-4824 or call police at 410-396-2100.

"We cannot have violent criminals running the streets," Mayor Catherine Pugh said at the press conference outside shock trauma.

"I ask all of Baltimore, please, pray for this man" and for all victims, Pugh said, describing the situation as "unacceptable." She said she planned to talk with Gov. Larry Hogan about the violence problem in the city and ask for additional resources.

Hogan said that he stands behind the city and is ready to assist, in a statement on Facebook Wednesday evening.

"Tonight the First Lady and I are praying for the Baltimore Police Department Detective who is in Shock Trauma after being shot in the line of duty earlier this evening. Please join us in praying for his recovery," Hogan said.

"The individual responsible for this heinous crime will be found, charged, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Hogan continued. "The Baltimore Police Department has our full support as they track down this violent criminal and bring him to justice. May God bless the brave men and women of the Baltimore Police Department and all law enforcement who serve and protect us every single day."

Watch: Baltimore Detective Shot, Hunt For Suspect Underway

This is breaking news and will be updated.

Still images from Baltimore Police press conference broadcast on Periscope. Map via Google satellite.