MD Man's Death Ruled A Homicide By Medical Examiner

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — The death of Samuel Brown, an Owings Mills man who died days after being punched by a police officer, has been ruled a homicide.

The determination came from the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which has not yet revealed the cause of death.

The ruling comes after the Maryland Attorney General's Office released body camera footage of the fatal police encounter between Brown and Baltimore County Police Officer Derek Hadel.

Related: MD Man Dies 11 Days After Police Wellness Check

Hadel responded to the intersection of Security Boulevard and Whitehead Court in Woodlawn on Feb. 16 around 3:30 a.m. for a wellness check. Police were alerted to the scene after a caller reported that a driver had been sitting at the wheel.

Body camera footage shows Hadel talking to Brown, who remains seated in the driver's seat of his car.

While no audio of the exchange is provided in the released footage, audio picks up after Brown begins to approach Hadel.

After swatting away the officer's hand, Hadel instructs Brown to return to his car three times before he eventually shoves and punches him to the ground.

Related: Footage Released In Deadly Police Encounter

Brown was hospitalized and died Feb. 27.

Friends and family members of Brown have called for police accountability in the case, which remains under investigation.

Hadel has remained on administrative leave pending the investigation by the Maryland Attorney General's Office.