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2 Baltimore officers wounded in shooting, suspect dead

Security Square Mall BPD WATF Shooting
Posted at 5:05 PM, Jul 13, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-13 17:06:35-04

WOODLAWN, Md. — Two police officers in Baltimore were shot in an exchange of gunfire that left the suspect dead on Tuesday at the Security Square Mall.

The Baltimore County Police Department said the officers were part of the Warrant Apprehension Task Force when they were injured while trying to serve a homicide warrant at the mall trying to track down 32-year-old Justin Powell.

Powell was wanted on a warrant for a murder that happened on June 19.

When detectives approached Powell's vehicle in the mall parking lot, he reportedly got out and shot two detectives.

Multiple officers returned fire, killing Powell.

The wounded detectives were taken to Shock Trauma and are expected to survive. Their names have not been released.

"Building a safer Baltimore requires us to hold violent offenders accountable. That’s exactly what our Warrant Apprehension Task Force does each day," said Mayor Brandon Scott. "I’m deeply thankful that both officers are alert and upbeat. I wish them a full recovery and ask you to pray for their families."

Baltimore County Police are handling the criminal investigation, while Baltimore City’s Special Investigations Response Team has taken over the internal police-involved aspect.

Rick Dickstein at WMAR first reported this story.