He says the deputy was ‘cool, clam and collected’ when confronting a man armed with a knife.
Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins
Frederick, Md (KM Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins says he supports his deputy who had to use deadly force Monday night in Frederick. The Sheriff was a guest recently on WFMD’s “Morning News Express.” He says Corporal Gregory Morton was “cool, calm and collected” when he confronted a man with a knife. Jenkins says Corporal Morton ordered the man to drop the knife.
“You have a man with a knife. You don’t what’s going on. You don’t know what’s going through this man’s mind. So Corporal Morton again appropriately calls out ‘I got him at gunpoint! I got him at gunpoint.’ He orders the man repeatedly, repeatedly, ‘drop the knife; drop the knife.’ And one point, he even says ‘please drop the knife.’ You can’t do any more than that,” Jenkins says.
Corporal Morton made the decision to fire his service weapon. “And even Corporal Morton walks backwards. He surrenders ground as this guy approaches him. He walks back as far as he can. The man refuses to drop the knife, and Corporal Morton fires one shot, and neutralizes the threat,” the Sheriff says.
He also says Corporal Morton joined other deputies to administer first aid to the victim, identified as Cody Berg, until medics arrived. Berg was flown out to a trauma center by a Maryland State Police helicopter.
Corporal Morton was placed on administrative leave.
The Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office says it reviewed footage from Corporal Morton’s body warn camera and spoke with investigates assigned to this incident, and concluded that Corporal Morton did not commit a crime. It also says Corporal Morton’s use of force was “necessary and proportional” and no charges will be filed against Corporal Morton. But it says this opinion does not preclude any administrative actions taken against Corporal Morton.
On Monday at around 6:44 PM, Corporal Morton was flagged down in the 300 block of North Market Street, where a man was having a mental health crisis in the parking lot next to the Old Towne Tavern. Sheriff Jenkins says Corporal Morton was not expecting to use deadly force when he confronted Berg. “You can tell that Corporal Morton’s mindset was not that there was going to a confrontation, but to deescalate or diffuse the situation,” Jenkins says
During the program, Sheriff Jenkins was asked if Corporal Morton could have used a taser instead of a firearm. “So let’s say, for the sake of conversation, the deputy pulls the taser. The man gets close, and he discharges a taser and it either misses or doesn’t make the right contacts. So now that method has failed. Now you’re standing there. No way to protect yourself. No option to use deadly force, and now you’re up against a knife,” he says.
In the end, Sheriff Jenkins says Corporal Morton did the right thing. “Corporal Morton reverted to his training. He was cool, he was calm and he was collective. I’m confident in his actions, and so is he,” he says.
By Kevin McManus