Howard County Police fatally shot a man in Columbia in June after he allegedly rushed toward an officer while holding a spear. Body camera footage released by the Maryland Office of the Attorney General on Wednesday shows the encounter lasted just seconds.
Authorities said Micah Booker stabbed his 26-year-old brother, Samuel Louie Booker IV, inside a residence in the 9200 block of Wilbur Court on June 9. The 23-year-old then called 911 and said he was armed and near a bus stop in the area of Carters Lane and Oakland Mills Road, according to a press release.
The footage released Wednesday shows Officer Michael McKee, a two-year veteran with the department, arrive near the bus stop and leave his vehicle. Booker can be seen a few feet away as he appears to run at McKee with what looks like a spear pointed toward the officer. McKee shot him one time.
There is no audio for the first minute of the bodycam video due to the camera’s buffer feature. Police said during this time McKee told Booker to drop the weapon.
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After the shot was fired, McKee is heard in the footage saying into his radio that Booker had a gunshot wound to the head and did not have a pulse. Booker was declared dead at the scene.
The office’s Independent Investigations Division is investigating the shooting. The IID investigates all fatal incidents involving police in Maryland. This was the first incident in Howard County this year.
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