Accused MD Cop Shooter's Lawyer Reveals Possible Motive: Report

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — The lawyer of a Cockeysville man accused of shooting two Baltimore County law enforcement officers during a three-day manhunt in February said his client was attempting "suicide by cop" when he pulled the trigger, according to a Baltimore Banner report.

David Linthicum, 24, was charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault and carjacking after police arrested him following an eight-hour standoff in a wooded area of Harford County on Feb. 10.

Police said Linthicum shot a police officer dispatched to his home on Feb. 8 and shot a detective involved in the search for him a day later.

In a motion for bail obtained by the Banner, Linthicum's lawyers said he fired into a wall of his Cockeysville home in an attempt to have himself killed by police.

In the motion, lawyers also asked for Linthicum to be released to home confinement from the Baltimore County Detention Center because for 23 hours per day, he was kept naked in a cell with only a piece of plastic for a blanket, according to the Banner. Lawyers also said he had no access to recreation or reading materials.

"Housing someone who was suicidal to begin with in a jail cell for twenty-three hours a day, with no access to exercise, recreation, or even reading materials, is tantamount to torture," his lawyers wrote in the motion, according to the Banner.

On Feb. 8, Baltimore County police responded to a call about a person in distress at a home on Sherwood Road in Cockeysville. Linthicum fired several shots, hitting one officer before fleeing the scene, police said.

Officers did not fire their weapons, according to a Baltimore County Police spokesperson.

Residents were asked to shelter in place as police searched for Linthicum for over two days. During the manhunt, Linthicum shot a Baltimore County detective several times and stole his official police vehicle.

Both officers have since been released from the hospital.

Linthicum then drove out of Baltimore County and abandoned the vehicle near the intersection of Belair and Mountain roads after police used spike strips to disable the stolen vehicle, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office. He sought refuge in a wooded area near a shopping mall in Fallston, trying to elude officers.

Police employed "less-lethal" tactics during the standoff to try to get Linthicum to surrender, authorities said, adding that officers were able to communicate with Linthicum toward the end of the standoff.

According to authorities, Linthicum had ammunition on him when he was taken into custody but no weapon. The weapon was later found in the abandoned police vehicle.

Linthicum had a history of drug use and was described by those who knew him as quiet and withdrawn, according to reports.

Meanwhile, Linthicum's brother called the ordeal "entirely preventable" and blamed family, teachers, and authorities for not helping him sooner, according to a separate report by the Banner.

"This was entirely preventable," said Martin Linthicum, who lives in Ireland. "He should have gotten help years ago. I brought this to (the family's) attention. Nothing was done."