Murder Strikes Family Of Police Spokesman: Patch PM

Share-worthy stories from Maryland Patches on Wednesday, July 5, include a fireworks-related injury, the launch of a bike-sharing program and a lightning strike on the Fourth of July. Plus, a homicide hits home for the Baltimore Police chief of media relations.

Baltimore Police Spokesman's Brother Shot To Death By 'Coward'
"I've made more than my share of death notifications over the course of my career, but now, it was personal," the Baltimore Police Department's Chief of Media Relations T.J. Smith posted on a public Facebook page. "I arrived and shared the terrible news. A coward with a gun entered my brother's apartment and shot and killed him."

Firework Explosion Severely Injures Tilghman Island Man
Authorities say a child found an unknown type of suspected illegal explosive/firework and gave it to his neighbor, who subsequently ignited the device. The firework detonated it was still in his hand.

• Lightning Strikes Bel Air Property, Fire Marshal Says
• Howard County Bikeshare To Launch On Thursday
• Car Plowed Into House, Trapping Teen Asleep On Couch On July 4: Aberdeen Police
• Baltimore Man Arrested In Spat Over Chicken Bones
• Estranged Wife Charged In FBI Agent Ex-Husband's Murder
• Huge Blaze Breaks Out At Old Seagram’s Plant In Dundalk
• Dead Man Found Inside Car Stopped On Beltway: PG County Police
• Maryland Officials Reject Trump Voter Commission's Voter Roll Request
• Coach Arrested On Child Porn Charges In Charles County
• Card-Skimmer Suspect Photos Released By Anne Arundel Police

Patch PM shares a few of the day’s must-read items from our Maryland network. The Patch community platform covers communities across the state.