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Dayton Harper: Baltimore Police Identify Man Fatally Shot After Attacking Officers With ‘AR-15-Style’ Weapon

By Kwao Saa
Published on: 10:10 PST, Jul 15, 2016

The Baltimore Police Department on Friday identified a suspect who was fatally shot after opening fire on plainclothes officers on Thursday as Dayton Harper.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis stated during a press briefing streamed online that Harper was a repeat offender with a lengthy criminal record. According to Davis, Harper’s records show he had been arrested for carjacking, handgun violation, drug distribution, robbery, and attempted murder.

At the moment, the Baltimore Police Department is still attempting to discern Harper’s motives and whether he may have been targeting the officers. The police have not revealed any details about Harper’s ethnicity or his age.

Four Baltimore officers in plain clothes were driving around 2300 Black of Winchester Street after 9 p.m. on Thursday when they heard gunfire, T.J. Smith, a police spokesman, said during a briefing on Thursday, according to Baltimore Sun.

A group of local kids who were playing basketball confirmed to a local reporter that they had heard gunfire, CBS Baltimore reported.

The officers, who Davis revealed are part of the Baltimore Police Department’s Operational Intelligence Division, traced the gunfire to a nearby parking lot where they were confronted by Harper. Two of the officers opened fire on Harper after he shot at them, Smith said, according to NBC News.

Harper retreated into a nearby building after he was shot in the upper body, Smith revealed. He was later found on the second floor of the building and was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

There appears to have been some delay between when Harper was found and when he was transported to the hospital. Davis told the press that there were concerns at the time that a second shooter was in the area, and officers were waiting for support. A SWAT team and Baltimore County Police eventually arrived to comb the vicinity.

Davis told the press on Friday that the weapon Harper was carrying, which he described as an “AR-15-style” weapon with pistol-handle, can pierce the armor of Baltimore patrol officers. He said the gun appears to have been assembled from different parts and not bought as a whole. He stated that the Baltimore Police Department would provide more information about the weapon after further investigation.

The attack on the police officers in Baltimore, which comes after five police officers were killed during a protest in Dallas, Texas, last week, has left many people in Baltimore shaken.

“We still don’t know why he shot at us, but we know how it makes us feel,” Davis said

He explained that people have reached out to the police department to express their concerns.

“Angry, frustrated, sad and bewildered are just some of the emotions that have been expressed to me.”

Davis said the Baltimore Police Department has received information from the FBI that local gangs are planning to attack cops. However, he said there is no evidence showing that Harper was connected to the plot.

Earlier, Smith said that investigators at the Baltimore Police Department are looking into the possibility that the shooter was attempting to lure the officers, NBC News reported.

Baltimore police officers stand near a crime scene. (Photo by Steve Ruark/AP Photo)

“Officers were drawn to the gunfire; were they specifically drawn there by him if they might have been known they were in the area?” the Baltimore Police spokesman asked.

None of the four plainclothes officers involved in the shooting or any other person in the vicinity sustained any injuries.

Although Davis did not identify the names of the Baltimore officers involved in the incident, he said the two policemen who exchanged fire with Harper are a 16-year and six-year veteran respectively. He stated that they have both been put on administrative leave. Meanwhile, the other two officers are serving as witnesses.

The shooting in Baltimore is likely to fuel the ongoing debate about cops opening fire on suspects. Unlike other incidents, it appears that there is no video of the shooting. Davis said one of the officers had a body cam, but it was not on. He also said that security cameras in the area failed to capture the incident.

[Photo by Steve Ruark/AP Images]

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