Baltimore homicide detective dies; manhunt continues for cop killer
BALTIMORE – The Baltimore homicide detective who was shot in the head Wednesday evening has died, Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said Thursday afternoon.
Det. Sean Suiter, 43, was pronounced dead shortly after noon EST while his wife was with him, Davis said at at a news conference. Suiter – a father of five and an 18-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department – had been on life support since Wednesday evening.
The police commissioner said the circumstances surrounding the shooting were still unclear. But he did say that Det. Suiter was with a partner from homicide in west Baltimore investigating a 2016 murder. From their car, “they observed a man engaging in suspicious behaviors,” he said.
“Det. Sutter got out of his car. He was dressed from head to toe, like every other homicide detective in Baltimore is dressed: full suit, tie, badge displayed on his waistband. He went to engage our suspect in a conversation and a confrontation occurred. ”
The suspect shot the detective once in the head, Davis said.
The commissioner said Suiter was taken to University of Maryland Shock Trauma, where “doctors did everything they could to save him.”
The FBI’s Baltimore field office said the agency, its federal partners and Metro CrimeStoppers are offering a $69,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. He is described as a black man wearing a black jacket with white stripes on the sleeves.
“We remain dedicated and committed to finding the person who ended such a beautiful life, such a wonderful detective, husband, father and friend,” the police commissioner said. “We will find the person responsible for this ridiculous, absurd, unnecessary loss of life.”
Mayor Catherine Pugh, who joined Davis at the news conference, praised the slain detective. “He was well respected and he will be very sorely missed.”
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said the suspect “will be found, charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The detective is the second police officer to be fatally shot in Baltimore this month. Sgt. Tony Mason, 40, of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., was killed on Nov. 4 while off-duty. He lived in Baltimore.
This article is republished with permission from Talk Media News.
Regina Holmes has more than two decades of experience as a journalist –editing and reporting for news dailies including the Miami Herald, Newsday and the Baltimore Examiner.