The State’s Attorney’s Office says the use of deadly force was justified.
Frederick, Md (KM). No criminal charges will be filed against two Howard County Police Officers who fatally shot a man in July in Mount Airy. Frederick County State’s Attorney Charlie Smith says his agency investigated the case to see if criminal charges were warranted and concluded they were not. He says the matter is closed.
Officer 1st Class Darshan Lucky and Corporal Thomas Joseph Townsend were conducting a multi-jurisdictional investigation into several burglaries in the Mount Airy area when they came upon a suspect vehicle. They initiated a traffic stop on a white Chevrolet van along Manor Drive South near Route 27 and Penn Shop Road in Mount Airy.
Smith says the driver of the van rammed the officers’ police car and drove toward the two cops. “The report showing the van was coming at the time. At the time, they were on foot. They felt that was a threat to their life so they deployed deadly force in the direction of the vehicle,” he says. “Unfortunately, it did result in the death of a young man. But we felt that use of force was justifiable.”
The shots killed Codey Ethan Mitchell, 26, of Damascus. He was a passenger in the van.
The driver, Shyann Brandi Dawn Outen, 28, of Woodbine, was taken into custody. She is charged with 1st-degree burglary and theft.
The two officers were not hurt.
By Kevin McManus