2 Dead After Police-Involved Shooting: Baltimore Police

BALTIMORE, MD - Two armed men were killed in an officer-involved shooting in Baltimore late Thursday afternoon, according to the Baltimore Police Department.

The shooting occurred in the 400 block of East Lanvale Street, police reported at approximately 4:30 p.m.

Three special operations officers dressed in plainclothes were on routine patrol in an unmarked car when they saw two people get out of a vehicle parked on Lanvale Street, according to Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith.

"One was holding a long rifle that appears capable of automatic fire, with a high-capacity round, and it is loaded. The other was holding a handgun," Smith said.

According to Smith, it appeared the men were aiming their weapons toward at least one person across the street.

"As officers passed that vehicle, they got out and confronted those two individuals," Smith said. "At that point, that's when shots were fired and both suspects were hit, and both suspects on scene are deceased."

While he said it was likely, Smith told media it was not yet confirmed that the officers fired the fatal shots; the investigation was still very active.

The officers were not injured in the incident, according to Smith, who said that their presence in the area may have been serendipitous.

"This is, from all accounts, absolute happenstance that officers were coming down this block and potentially prevented something from happening in broad daylight out here," Smith said. "The suspects who had the two guns were aiming those guns at what we believe were some people on the other side of the street."

Smith said that officers were on routine patrol in the area, which has experienced recent bouts of violence. He said there was a homicide in the general area Wednesday night and a series of nonfatal shootings in the vicinity as well.

"This is an area that officers are focused on and officers just happened to be in the area and rode past this," Smith said.

"Preliminarily, the two people that are deceased were together, and they both were aiming their guns toward someone else," Smith said. "They were aiming their guns, and they were saying something. I can't tell you what was being said because I don't know the answer to that."

While they were in plainclothes, the officers were wearing outer vest carriers that said "Police" on the front and back, according to Smith. It was unclear how many of them fired, and the investigation was in its early stages Thursday evening.

"We're trying to piece together everything," Smith said. "I don't want to jump to any conclusions."