MD Man Charged In Shootings Of 2 Officers Described As Reclusive, Troubled: Reports

COCKEYSVILLE, MD — David Linthicum, the man accused of shooting two Maryland police officers this week while leading authorities on a three-day manhunt, had a history of drug use and was described by those who knew him as quiet and withdrawn, according to reports.

Linthicum, 24, of Cockeysville, is charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault, carjacking, stealing a car, use of a firearm in a violent crime, and possession of a loaded handgun in Baltimore County, according to court documents obtained by the Baltimore Sun.

Police arrested Linthicum after an eight-hour standoff in a wooded area of Harford County around 5:45 a.m. Friday.

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Police said Linthicum shot a police officer dispatched to his Cockeysville home on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities said he then shot a detective involved in the search for him Thursday. Dr. Thomas Scalea of Shock Trauma Center said during a news conference the detective was in stable condition but on life support after suffering multiple gunshot wounds to his torso and extremities.

Linthicum was no stranger to police, according to a report by The Baltimore Banner. In 2019, he was arrested and authorities found a large amount of marijuana in his bedroom. He was charged with possession of drugs with intent to distribute, the Banner reported.

A neighbor told the Banner he rarely interacted with Linthicum, who shared a home with his father on Powers Road.

"They keep to themselves," Alex Halstead told the publication. "My take is he's not an outside-the-house kind of person."

Friends told the Banner that Linthicum had limited social skills and had shown signs of concerning behavior patterns since high school.

"He was always very quiet, very to himself, showed no emotion, or very little emotion," an anonymous acquaintance told The Banner.

On Wednesday, 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 Baltimore County Police spokesperson Joy Stewart. That officer has since been released from the hospital.

Residents were asked to shelter in place as police searched for Linthicum on Wednesday night and most of Thursday. During the manhunt, Linthicum shot a Baltimore County police officer several times and stole his official police vehicle.

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.