A 23-year-old Black woman shot and killed by police in Baltimore continues to deepen a rift between law enforcement and the community in the city.
On Aug. 1, Baltimore County Police Department officers arrived at Korryn Gaines’ apartment to serve a warrant for her arrest for non-appearance in court. Police say she was holding a shotgun and threatened to shoot the officers, leading to police fatally shooting her.
Gaines’ 5-year-old son was on the scene when the incident took place and was wounded, suffering injuries to his face and elbow.
The standoff was posted to Instagram and Facebook, on which Gaines asks her son what the police were doing. His reply was, “They trying to kill us.” Police officers were not wearing body cameras during the incident.
Gaines’ warrant stems from a March incident, when she was stopped for having a piece of cardboard with writing on it instead of a license plate. The message read, “Any government official who compromises this pursuit of happiness and right to travel, will be held criminally responsible and fined, as this is a natural right and freedom.”
Video of the stop was posted to Instagram by Gaines. She said officers threatened to hurt her. As a result she was arrested and spent two days in isolation and was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and littering. She was released but failed to appear in court, leading to the warrant for her arrest.
Since January 2015, four of the six police-involved shootings in Baltimore County have involved African-American victims, despite an African-American population of just 28 percent.
In reaction to Gaines’ death, protests were held in multiple cities, led by various groups in New York, Portland and Phoenix. Protesters also demonstrated at the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police conference.
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is requesting documents from the Baltimore County Police about Gaines’ death. A letter was sent by the group to Police Chief James W. Johnson.
Among their requests, they want copies of the department’s policies on the execution of arrest warrants, an update on when they anticipate releasing the names of the officers’ involved in the incident, the identity of the “hostage negotiator” unit involved and notice of whether the officer who shot and killed Gaines and shot her son continues to be on administrative duty.
“Communities are struggling to understand the events that led to the police-involved shooting that killed Korryn Gaines and injured her young son, Kodi,” said Monique Dixon, deputy director of policy and one of the signatories of the letter. “Ongoing transparency from the police department is vital as the public grapples with this tragedy.”
