THIS SHOOTING IS SURE TO FIRE UP THE WRATH OF COP HATERS

Handcuffed and buckled into seat, man shot and killed inside police cruiser

Associated Press
January 28, 2020

TEMPLE HILLS, Md. -- A man who had been handcuffed with his arms behind his back by police in Maryland was shot and killed inside an officer's cruiser.

Prince George's County police officers responded Monday night to reports that a driver had struck multiple vehicles near the Temple Hills community, spokeswoman Christina Cotterman told news outlets during a news conference.

When officers located the driver, they smelled PCP and believed the man was under the influence, Cotterman said.

The suspect was buckled into the front passenger seat of the vehicle, which Cotterman said is normal for Prince George's County police. The officer then got into the driver's seat.

Two independent witnesses told police they either saw or heard a struggle, and heard loud bangs coming from the cruiser, according to Cotterman.

The man was shot multiple times by the officer's service weapon, the police spokeswoman said. Officers performed lifesaving measures and took the man to a hospital. He died a short time later.

Police haven't publicly identified the suspect because family members had not yet been notified.

The shooting wasn't caught on body-camera video because the officer didn't have one, Cotterman said. Investigators were looking for surveillance cameras in the area that may have recorded the shooting.

The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave. Cotterman said the officer was expected to be identified Tuesday.

UPDATE

Maryland cop charged with murder in shooting of handcuffed man

CBS News
January 28, 2020

A Maryland police officer was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Tuesday after the fatal shooting of a man who was handcuffed in a police cruiser, according to CBS affiliate WUSA-TV. Corporal Michael Owen Jr. is also being charged with manslaughter and associated weapons charges in the death of William Green.

Chief Hank Stawinski called the announcement "the most difficult moment of my tenure as your Chief of Police," according to WUSA-TV.

Police initially said Monday that they received a 911 call at about 8 p.m. reporting a male driver who had struck multiple cars, WUSA-TV reported. Officers said they located Green and thought he was under the influence after smelling what they believed to be PCP in his car.

Police added that they handcuffed Green and buckled him into the front seat of a police cruiser. Two independent witnesses claimed they heard or saw a fight in the front seat and heard loud bangs, according to police. They added that Owen shot Green multiple times, and that lifesaving measures were attempted before he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Stawinski walked back some of those claims on Tuesday.

"We do not believe PCP was involved, we do not have independent witnesses that observed a struggle and we do not know for certain that Mr. Green was seat-belted in that cruiser," Stawinksi said, according to WUSA-TV. He added that seating Green in the front of the car is standard departmental procedure when the vehicle does not have a transport partition, which Owen's cruiser did not.

Police said Owen was not wearing a body camera. He has worked with the department for 10 years, and is assigned to the Bureau of Patrol.

Green's family is represented by Billy Murphy, the attorney who represented the family of Freddie Gray, according to Murphy's office.