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Settlement reached in lawsuit accusing BPD of unlawful neighborhood lockdown following detective's death

Interview at BPD describes Suiter murder
Posted at 12:10 PM, Jun 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-08 17:21:53-04

BALTIMORE — The ACLU of Maryland and Baltimore City officials have reached a settlement in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Harlem Park residents over police response to the 2017 death of detective Sean Suiter.

The lawsuit alleges police violated citizens fourth amendment rights when they blocked off the neighborhood for an unreasonable amount of time, preventing residents from coming and going.

Throughout, the ACLU accused police of unlawfully searching homes and residents.

Kevin Davis, who was Baltimore Police Commissioner at the time was named in the suit.

Although details of the settlement are unclear, court documents say it includes "monetary and non-monetary terms."

One minor holdup appears to be a disagreement on who will be responsible for the plaintiffs attorney fees.

The ACLU is asking that a United States Magistrate Judge resolve the dispute.

RELATED: ACLU sues Baltimore Police over shut down of Harlem Park

Suiter was shot and killed a day before he was set to testify before a federal grand jury that had been investigating the disgraced Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force.

Earlier a convicted GTTF detective implicated Suiter in court, but unsealed documents alleged that he also planted drugs at the scene of a police chase years prior.

Suiter's death prompted police to lock down the 900 block of Bennet Place for nearly a week in search of his killer.

No potential suspect has ever been charged, despite a large cash reward being offered.

While the case remains open and classified as a homicide, an Independent Review Board and Maryland State Police investigation both concluded that Suiter's death was a suicide. His family has rejected those findings.