Man shot by officer in East Baltimore in critical condition, police say

BALTIMORE — A Baltimore police officer shot a man in East Baltimore on Thursday afternoon, according to Chief of Patrol Col. Ryan Lee.

The investigation is taking place in the Belair-Edison neighborhood, along the 3900 block of Erdman Avenue. The 3800 and 3900 blocks of Erdman Avenue are closed to traffic.

Lee said an officer was working crime suppression around 12:15 p.m. in a marked vehicle when he began speaking with a man.

The officer got out of his car and approached the man, who ran away. Lee said the officer chased him and the man pulled out a weapon, later identified as a semi-automatic handgun, and pointed it at the officer.

The officer fired multiple rounds at the man, who was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.

Police have not been able to confirm the man's identity but said he is believed to be an adult.

"This is a traumatic incident for this neighborhood, but we want to be very clear: we will not have individuals willingly walking around carrying firearms and pulling a firearm out in a place right next to a library, right next to a childcare center, where they could be children or elderly there," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said. "We are lucky that our police officer was not injured."

The Maryland Attorney General's office has been notified and is responding to the scene.

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