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Frederick County deputy shoots, injures man during pursuit, sheriff's office says

The Frederick County Sheriff's Office said the man fired a gun at the deputy during a foot chase.

FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. — A man is in the hospital after he was shot by a Frederick County Sheriff's Office deputy early Friday morning. 

According to the sheriff's office, a deputy attempted a traffic stop for a suspected drunk driver who was speeding on Interstate 270  and Route 85 around 2:45 a.m. The attempted stop was part of a St. Patrick's Day anti-drunk driving police initiative.

When the driver refused to stop, a pursuit ensued, Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said. That pursuit ended in the  Kingsbrook Community area in Frederick, when the suspect bailed from his car and ran off on foot, according to police. 

At one point during the chase, the suspect fired a gun at the deputy and the deputy returned fire, according to Jenkins. The deputy struck the suspect three times and the deputy was not hurt, Jenkins said. 

Jenkins said the deputy immediately attempted lifesaving measures until medics responded to the scene and transported the man by ambulance to Shock Trauma in Baltimore for treatment of his injuries; he's currently in stable condition, according to Jenkins.  

The suspect was later identified by police as 28-year-old Lookman-Khalil Abolajo Bello of Hagerstown. 

The deputy who fired his gun was alone during the incident and was not wearing a bodycamera at the time. The FCSO is currently in the middle of its bodycamera pilot program, according to Jenkins, but the team this deputy worked on is not equipped with cameras. Jenkins said a second responding officer was involved in the foot pursuit, but did not witness the shooting. 

A female passenger was also in the car, Jenkins said, but was not injured. She was questioned by FCSO deputies. 

Investigators say a handgun was recovered at the scene, but Jenkins said he did not know whether Bello was prohibited from legally owning a gun. Jenkins said there were active warrants on Bello across three agencies. 

  • FCSO: Child Support and Failure to Appear for Driving on a Suspended License
  • Frederick City Police: Failure to Appear for Driving on a Suspended License
  • Washington County Sheriff’s Office: Child Support

FCSO said they would be releasing additional charges against Bello later Friday. 

During a press conference with reporters, Jenkins expressed frustration at what he called an increase of people in the county found with guns, that are prohibited from owning firearms. 

"I cannot begin to explain why people make the decisions they do basically not to comply, obey the lawful orders of officers, stop when they are asked to stop," Jenkins said. "It’s very frustrating that we’ve gotten to that ... Police have become targets. I don't understand that."

The sheriff's office said there is no threat to the community. 

Jenkins said the Frederick County Sheriff's Office will be handling the investigation. 

"We reached out and contacted the Attorney General's Office, the independent investigative unit, as we are required to do," Jenkins said. "They were advised, they made the determination they would not be investigating, they declined, so we're handling this." 

Thomas Lester, spokesperson for the Maryland Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division, clarified that under Maryland law, the office can only investigate fatal officer-involved shootings.

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