Police: Officer Struck By Friendly Fire, Man's Gun Was Not Loaded

Baltimore County police believe the officer shot Thursday was wounded by friendly fire during a standoff with a man seemingly intent on having police take his life.

Officer First Class T. Hays, a 13 1/2 year veteran with one prior shooting incident in 2008, was shot while responding to a call for an armed man, who himself was shot and killed in a shootout with officers.

"We can't classify this as a suicide by police as of right now, but the circumstances are leading up to that," spokesman Cpl. Shawn Vinson said.

Hays is in stable condition at Shock Trauma after suffering a gunshot wound to the upper body. Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski Jr. said Friday that her vitals remained stable and that her injuries ultimately were not life threatening.

"We are very encouraged," Olszewski said. "Obviously, it's a long road to recovery, so we'll take some time but we're encouraged that our officer's coming out of this and looking like they're going to survive and we're grateful for that, first and foremost."

Vinson said that though Hays was wearing body armor, she was shot in an area where the body armor does not cover. Under an agreement with the county police union, officials don't release the full names of officers involved in shootings.

At around 1:37 p.m., Hays and three other officers from the Parkville precinct were dispatched to the 3000 block of Linwood Avenue for a call for an armed person in a home, waving his gun at officers. In statements on Thursday, police first said that the man was armed and fired when police made entry. However, police on Friday said that after reviewing body-worn camera footage, they've determined the man picked up a gun, didn't follow commands to put it down, and instead pointed the gun at officers. That gun, however, wasn't loaded.

"It's clearly a case of friendly fire at this point," Vinson said. "There's no way that he fired his weapon."

That man has since been identified as resident Robert Uhl Johnson. Police determined that it was the 76-year-old who called 911, providing his personal information before claiming there was someone waving a gun at him inside his home. He hung up when the operator tried to get more information. She tried to call him back, but he didn't answer.

As officers approached, they saw him inside, in a chair facing the door. An officer began talking with Johnson, who refused to get up from the chair or leave the home. He told the officer that he called 911 and that there was nobody in the home with him. Body camera video shows police taking notice of the revolver accessible to Johnson, Vinson said.

Officers knocked three times before realizing the door was unlocked. Officers entered the home and told Johnson to keep his hands up. Johnson lowered his right hand to his thigh and picked up a handgun.

"I'm sorry I have to do this," he said, before the four officers fired their service weapons, police said. Officers retreated from the home while responding to the threat, but kept firing--a gun was later found by officers on the sidewalk outside the home. Police later found that Johnson left his will and last requests for burial out for officers to find.

Vinson stressed that there is no way for officers to know in the moment that a weapon isn't loaded, and that they "have to act at that point for their safety."

Though he didn't have precise details on where each of the four officers were located when shots rang out, Vinson said the front porch and the room of the home where the confrontation happened created a fairly confined space. He said Hays and at least two other officers past the front door when officers opened fire.

Vinson said it's not yet clear if the revolver Johnson used was legally owned, or if he owned other weapons. He said that police intend to release the body-worn camera video when all reviews of the incident are complete.

All officers involved--Hays, and Officers First Class J. Hummel, A. Burns, and J. Delford--remain on routine administrative leave. Hummel is an 18-year veteran, Burns a 17 1/2-year veteran and Delford an 10 1/2-year veteran. None of the three have been involved in other shooting incidents. Findings of homicide detectives will be forwarded to State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger's office for review, and police will also conduct their own review.

Police in Sarasota, Florida confirmed that the officer shot is the daughter of their chief, Bernadette DiPino. DiPino, also a former Baltimore County police officer, left the Ocean City police force for Sarasota in 2012.

Olszewski said he has spoke to the officer's spouse and will be calling her family today. They arrived in Baltimore late last night, after Olszewski had left the hospital. He said he plans to visit the officer in person soon.

The shooting came a day after a Baltimore teen was found guilty on felony murder and other charges for running down another Parkville precinct officer, Amy Caprio, in May 2018. Thursday's shooting happened on the same shift Caprio worked. Vinson said the department is "offering whatever resources are necessary for these officers."

Police leave shock trauma with officers clothes and gun belt pic.twitter.com/tmK761wjLh — Lisa Robinson (@lisawbal) May 2, 2019

NEW: @SarasotaPD says the officer injured in the Parkville shooting is the daughter of the Sarasota Police Chief.



Chief Bernadette DiPino started her career at the @BaltCoPolice and later became the police chief in Ocean City #WBAL https://t.co/YUwyrKtYSz — Vanessa Herring (@VanessaWBAL) May 3, 2019

#BCoPD activity/heavy response in 3000 block of Linwood Avenue. Area roads will be closed; Old Harford/Taylor closed. Media can respond to staging area at Harford Rd/Taylor Ave. Updates will be provided as info becomes available. jzp — Baltimore County Police Department (@BaltCoPolice) May 2, 2019

#LinwoodAve incident is in reference to an officer-involved shooting. PIO is en route. Media please respond to staging area at Harford Rd/Taylor Ave. No further info at this time, please follow @BaltCoPolice for updates. ^NL — Baltimore County Police Department (@BaltCoPolice) May 2, 2019

Our officers encounter dangerous situations & put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe. Today, a BaltCo police officer was shot in the line of duty. I am praying for a full recovery & ask residents to keep the officer & their family in our thoughts. — County Executive Johnny Olszewski (@BaltCoExec) May 2, 2019

This is the scene outside the Emergency Entrance at @shocktrauma where a Baltimore County Police Officer has been transported after being shot in Parkville. Medic 11 from the Hillendale Station was escorted here by numerous cruisers from @BaltCoPolice @BaltimorePolice @mdsp pic.twitter.com/chcyAkOYUR — Jim Russ WBAL NewsRadio 1090 & FM 101.5 ???? (@JimWBALTraffic) May 2, 2019

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Tashawna Gaines and Phil Yacuboski and WBAL-TV 11 contributed to this report.