Slain Detective Was Set to Testify in a Police Corruption Probe the Next Day
This material belongs to: Time.
(BALTIMORE) — Baltimore’s police commissioner says a detective killed last week was slain a day before he was set to testify in a corruption probe into activities of indicted police officers.
Commissioner Kevin Davis announced the revelation Wednesday, a week after the detective was shot in the head in a vacant lot.
Rumors have been running rampant in Baltimore about the unsolved case.
Davis emphasizes that Detective Sean Suiter was not the target of any criminal investigation. But he says Suiter was scheduled to testify before a grand jury “the day after he was murdered.”
The grand jury is investigating a group of Baltimore officers who worked together on a firearms crime task force and have been charged with stealing money, property and narcotics from people over two years.
Murdered Baltimore cop was set to testify in police corruption case, shot with own gun
This material belongs to: ABC News.
As the investigation into the murder of Baltimore Police Det. Sean Suiter continues, it was revealed during a press conference held by Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis on Wednesday evening that Suiter was shot with his own gun and the detective was set to testify in a police corruption case the next day.
Suiter was gunned down on Nov. 15 in West Baltimore while conducting a follow-up on a homicide investigation. The 18-year veteran officer sustained a close-contact gunshot wound to the head.
During Wednesday evening’s press conference, Davis confirmed that Suiter’s was set to testify in an unspecified case against officers who were indicted in March. Davis noted that the U.S. attorney’s office and the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Baltimore field office assured him that Suiter was not a target in any ongoing criminal investigation.
“There is no information that has been communicated to me that Det. Suiter was anything other than a stellar detective, great friend, loving husband and dedicated father,” Davis said.
Davis also revealed in Wednesday’s press conference that Suiter was killed with his own gun.
Evidence found on the detective’s clothing, in addition to body camera footage, indicates that there was a struggle between the officer and his killer, authorities said.
On the night of the incident there was a radio transmission by Suiter that lasted only a few seconds before he was killed indicating he was in distress, Davis said. Also, Suiters’ partner was confirmed to be nearby when the incident happened and can be seen on private surveillance video calling for help.
Davis said despite the timing of the shooting one night before Suiter was set to testify, the evidence does not indicate any conspiracy. Police believe the original motive is accurate — the officers approached a suspicious individual when the struggle ensued and Suiter was shot.
Baltimore police still do not have a clear description of the suspect, other than that of an African-American man wearing a black coat with a white stripe.
“We will continue to follow the evidence in this very important case. … I owe it to the Suiter family and the BPD to pursue every investigative lead and to examine every piece of evidence to determine exactly what happened,” Davis said.
The reward for information leading to an arrest has grown to $215,000.
