GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Warning: The footage will be hyperlinked in the article and contains violent and graphic material that may be disturbing and is not suitable for all viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
Body camera footage released Friday shows a deadly encounter between police and an armed man at a bus stop in Gaithersburg on July 12.
The Maryland Attorney General's Office has since identified the deceased as 46-year-old Elliott Powers of Rockville, Maryland.
Officers with the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) and the Gaithersburg Police Department (GPD) were called to the 9600 block of Lost Knife Road at 6:45 p.m. for reports of a man armed with a weapon.
At the scene, officers found the man, identified as Powers, holding what appeared to be a handgun.
The body camera footage starts from the perspective of Sergeant Christopher Leach, a 14-year veteran of the Montgomery County Police Department, arriving at the scene at 6:59 p.m.
Sgt. Leach is seen approaching Powers at the bus stop, asking him to show his hands. Just a moment later, Powers appears to reach into his bag, prompting Sgt. Leach to repeatedly shout "no," while backing up and aiming his weapon at Powers.
"We got one at gunpoint at the bus stop," said Sgt. Leach while talking into his radio. "We have guns facing toward the shopping center, so beware of crossfire. We have a gun!"
"Drop the gun!" another officer said as Sgt. Leach moves toward the back of his police vehicle.
For several moments, officers repeatedly ask Powers to drop the weapon, to which he can be heard replying, "I'm not dropping nothing."
As more units arrived on the scene, Sgt. Leach is seen requesting that Lost Knife Road be shut down, as well as the entrances into the shopping center.
While one officer continued to ask Powers to drop his weapon, he replied, "You're going to have to kill me."
"I don't want to do that," the officer said.
Powers told the officers to "Shut the f*** up and leave," but the officer told Powers he's not going to do that, asking Powers to give him his name.
Sgt. Leach then moved into another officer's spot after they said their body camera was only on 6%.
Several moments go by, and officers attempt to re-establish communication with Powers to de-escalate the situation.
The officer tells Powers they are just talking, adding he wants him to "see tomorrow."
At 7:12 p.m., Sgt. Leach shouts "Aye, aye, aye," at which point officers fired their weapons, striking Powers multiple times.
"His hands are clear," one officer said after the shooting. "I have the gun," another said.
Officers immediately began rendering aid to Powers as they awaited medical personnel. He died at the scene.
No officers were injured during the shooting.
Along with Sgt. Leach, the other officers involved include: Officer Michael Wengloski, a 12.5-year veteran; Officer Andrew Hanko, an 8-year veteran; and Officer Robert Bullock, a 7-year veteran of the MCPD; Officer Noah Whelan, a 5-year veteran; Officer Carissa Fortin, an 8.5-year veteran of the GPD.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident, including cell phone or private surveillance video, should contact the Attorney General's Office at 410-576-7070. You can also contact them by email at IID@oag.maryland.gov.
