Suspect Fatally Shot By New Carrollton Police Officers Identified, Investigation Continues

NEW CARROLLTON, MD — The suspect fatally shot by New Carrollton police officers Jan. 30 has been identified by the Independent Investigations Division of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.

The suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Artell Cunningham of Suitland. The New Carrollton Police officers involved in the Jan. 30 shooting have been identified as Sergeant Byron Purnell, a six-year veteran, and Corporal Carlos Batenga, who has a total of five years of law enforcement experience.

The shooting was reported early in the morning Jan. 30 in the 7500 block of Annapolis Road in the New Carrollton area. Washington, D.C., police officers had been searching for the man they say stole several vehicles in a short period of time and shot at Metro police officers, WTOP reported. In one incident, the gunman is believed to have fatally shot a man during a carjacking, Jeffery Carroll, the assistant chief of D.C. police, said at a news conference held Jan. 30.

New Carrollton officers on patrol spied a disabled SUV parked in the road around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday. They learned that the SUV had been reported as a carjacked vehicle in another jurisdiction within Prince George’s County. Officers began searching the area for occupants of the vehicle when a man walked up to them and pulled out two handguns. The two officers discharged their service weapons, hitting the man. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. No officers were injured. The confrontation between the man and the officers happened in front of a laundromat in the 7500 block of Annapolis Road near the intersection with Veterans Parkway.

Officers on scene were equipped with body-worn cameras. If the shooting was captured on a body-worn camera, the IID will generally release the footage within 20 business days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 20 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to shield the identities of civilian witnesses or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public.

The suspect has a criminal history in Washington, D.C., and Maryland and it’s believed he was having a mental health crisis at the time, Carroll said during the news conference.

“The violence that we saw yesterday was senseless and tragic and we know that two families are experiencing an unthinkable tragedy,” Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said at the news conference.

Timeline of events:

• Officers received a report of a shooting in the 900 block of K Street Northwest around 5:45 p.m. Jan. 29. The suspect got into a parked vehicle and shot the driver, then left the vehicle. The driver climbed out of the vehicle and collapsed on the sidewalk. The driver is in critical condition.
• Just after 7 p.m., the suspect attempted to unsuccessfully steal a vehicle in the 1000 block of 3rd Street Northwest. He fled the scene.
• The suspect stole another man’s vehicle before fatally shooting him in the 1200 block of 3rd Street Northeast around 15 minutes later outside several luxury apartment buildings not far from Florida Avenue. The suspected shooter then stole the victim’s car and fled from the scene. The victim was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died. The suspect then dumped the stolen vehicle in Prince George’s County before stealing another vehicle — a Nissan Rogue, D.C. police said.
• At around 3 a.m. Jan. 30, the suspect drove past a Washington, D.C., police cruiser on Interstate 295 near the 1st Street exit in the stolen Nissan Rogue. The suspect fired at the police cruiser, hitting the drivers side door. The officer wasn’t injured.
• The suspect was confronted in Prince George’s County and fatally shot by an officer with the New Carrollton department around two hours later, police said.

Related:

Officers Fatally Shot Suspect Who Killed Driver, Hurt Another: Police