Suiter Was Set To Testify Before Grand Jury, But Was Not Target Of Investigation

The day after Detective Sean Suiter was fatally shot last week, he was due to offer grand jury testimony on a sweeping Baltimore police scandal, but police do not believe it was a factor in his death.

Commissioner Kevin Davis said he confirmed with federal authorities that Suiter was to testify last week on matters related to the racketeering and drug cases that ensnared a number of current or former members of the Gun Trace Task Force. He was to testify against suspects who have already been indicted in the case, and would have discussed incidents from "several years ago," Davis said.

In course of his career w/BPD, Det Sean Suiter worked cases with 2 members of Gun Task Force...at least 25 cases, mostly drug cases — Jayne Miller (@jemillerwbal) November 22, 2017

However, he stressed that Suiter himself was not a subject of any investigation, and said the circumstances pointed to a totally spontaneous encounter.

There's no evidence, Davis said, that Suiter was "anything other than a stellar detective, great friend, loving husband and dedicated partner."

Listen to the full briefing:

Davis also said Suiter was shot with his own gun, and struggled with the killer before the fatal shot was fired. Earlier, police had said Suiter's service weapon was fired more than once, and said shell casings from his weapon were found at the scene.

Davis said Suiter and his partner noticed the shooter behaving suspiciously about 20 minutes before the fatal incident. At the time Suiter encountered the man again, his partner was across the street, as seen in private surveillance footage.

It was, Davis said, the "spontaneous observation of a man behaving suspiciously and the spontaneous decision to investigate his conduct."

An autopsy conducted last week found that Suiter was shot at close range, and revealed the trajectory. That, Davis said, led police back to the Harlem Park crime scene (which police continued to hold), where they discovered the fatal round, with DNA that matched Suiter's.

"The fact that we have not yet made an arrest created an environment for rumors to flourish," Davis said. "This tragedy in the meantime remains a murder investigation."

He said there was nothing said or done by Suiter that would have telegraphed his presence on Bennett Place, where the shooting took place.

A radio transmission was made during the struggle, and a gunshot was heard in the background. Davis said police are working with federal partners to enhance that audio.

Suiter is set to be laid to rest next Wednesday.

A GoFundMe page for detective Sean Suiter's family has raised more than $42,000 so far.