Good Morning. Overnight: Cops Shot, Awaiting Word On Conditions From BPD. Law Enforcement Warning: Rachel Morin's Killer Has "Absolute Disregard for Human Life," Will Likely Strike Again.
More tk in follows when I'm awake again. If you hear anything about these officers' conditions, please let me know, and if you see the Morin murder suspect, or have tips, please contact Harf Sheriff.
Baltimore Police Officers Shot By Carjacking Suspects; Officers' Conditions Unknown
Ovenight Coverage: SWAT Team Converges On Northeast Baltimore Home Where Police Believe Suspects Barricaded Themselves
AUG 23, 2023
By Gary Gately
journalistgarygately@gmail.com
Baltimore Police officers have been shot by carjacking suspects who police believe have barricaded themselves in a home in Northeast Baltimore, police said early Wednesday.Â
The Baltimore Police Department did not immediately have details on how many officers were shot or their conditions.
SWAT team members have descended on the home in the 1800 block of Lyndonlea Way near Good Samaritan Hospital, the Baltimore Police Department said early Wednesday. Police warned residents to avoid the area because of potential danger.Â
The officers wounded in the shootings had been following a carjacking suspect about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday near Wadsworth Way and Fenwick when shots were fired, striking the officers' patrol car, police said.
The suspects fled on foot and police sent a SWAT team to Lyndonlea Way, where they believe the suspects have holed up.
Baltimore's latest carjacking comes as the number of them have spiked over the past two years. The city counted 466 carjackings last year, an average of about 39 a month, about the same as this year's pace.
Two high-profile carjackings occurred in Canton in less than a week.Â
On Friday, 57-year-old Darrell Benner was fatally shot after attempting to intervene when his nephew's vehicle was carjacked during a robbery on South Curley Street near O'Donnell Square, a popular entertainment district for locals and tourists alike.Â
Then on Tuesday, armed suspects stole a Jeep on South Luzerne Street in Canton, police said.Â
The BPD had no suspects early Wednesday in those two carjackings.Â
On Monday, a 15-year-old admitted attempting to carjack an off-duty BPD officer who had been in his private car in the 1300 block of Walker Avenue about 2:55 a.m., police said.Â
The teen fired at the officer, who then returned fire, causing a graze wound to the suspect's leg, police said. The youth was being held at the Baltimore Juvenile Justice Center on Gay Street.Â
This is a developing story and will be updated.
If you spot any errors, want to share news tips, pitch story ideas or submit a first-person piece, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you. Thanks again for reading. — Gary Gately, Editor, The Baltimore Observer, journalistgarygately@gmail.com, 410-382-4364.
A Fox Baltimore Exclusive:
Rachel Morin murder: Maryland sheriff says suspect on the loose could strike again
Authorities trying to ID man who left DNA at crime scene
Published August 22, 2023 3:25pm EDT | Updated August 22, 2023 5:05pm EDT
Rachel Morin murder suspect linked to LA home invasion, assault on girl
Maryland officials say DNA collected from the location where Rachel Morin was murdered has been linked to DNA from a Los Angeles assault and home invasion that happened in March.
The prime suspect in Maryland mother of five Rachel Morin's grisly murder could attack more people if he isn't caught, an official told Fox News Digital.
"This individual poses a threat to every community from here to Los Angeles because we don’t know where he’s laying his head at night," said Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler.
Morin's body was found on Aug. 6 in a wooded area on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland one day after she left home for a walk and didn't return.
DNA found at the crime scene matched a suspect wanted for a March home invasion and assault of a girl in Los Angeles.
"This individual poses a threat to every community from here to Los Angeles because we don’t know where he’s laying his head at night. — Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler
RACHEL MORIN MURDER: MARYLAND POLICE TIE CRIME SCENE DNA TO LOS ANGELES ASSAULT, HOME INVASION
Richard Tobin, far left, denied he had any role in girlfriend Rachel Morin's death after her body was found on a Maryland hiking trail. (Facebook)
Police released surveillance video of the shirtless man fleeing the Los Angeles home.
While DNA from the two crimes match, the Los Angeles Police Department and local police, working with the FBI, have yet to identify the man connected to the violent crimes. This remains the "top priority," Gahler said.
"This person has an absolute disregard for the sanctity of human life and, until he’s arrested, there is a threat he’ll do something harmful to someone else," he said.
Gahler believes the suspect has likely committed other acts of violence.
"I just don’t believe you do two things that are so serious in nature and that’s your starting point. Most likely you’ve been involved in other crimes," he told Fox News Digital.
The Harford County Sheriff's Office asks the public to continue coming forward with tips.
"It’s very likely someone knows him around there and someone knows him here," he said.
RACHEL MORIN MURDER EERILY SIMILAR TO HIGH-PROFILE CASES OF FEMALE JOGGERS KILLED BY STRANGERS
Online sleuths were quick to suggest Morin's new boyfriend, Richard Tobin, who reported her missing, may have been involved in her death, which he has publicly denied.
"At this point, there is no indication that he was involved. But until we know who this guy is or whether he acted alone, the entire world is a suspect," Gahler said.
The boyfriend of slain Maryland mother Rachel Morin posted a tribute to her. (Facebook)
Tobin, who made his relationship with Morin official on social media four days before she disappeared, posted a tribute to her on Facebook on Sunday.
"Rip rachelmorin love you baby, you will be forever missed," he captioned a photo of him holding a single red rose and staring at an outdoor memorial.
"You showed me how rewarding it was to be a man and treat you like a queen! Making you happy gave me joy every day, and I’m so glad I could give you that."
The body of Maryland woman Rachel Morin, 37, was found Aug. 6 on a hiking trail, right. Police are investigating her death as a homicide. (Facebook | Google Maps)
"You're my angel now, and you will always be with me."
The community held a hike Saturday on the Ma & Pa Heritage Trail in her honor.