BALTIMORE — A Baltimore police officer is recovering in the hospital after being shot in East Baltimore Friday afternoon.
He and several offices were responding to a behavioral health crisis around noon those shots were fired.
“A struggle ensued as he tried to take him into custody. During the struggle he was able to get to a weapon that he had on his persons and shot one of our officers in the leg,” shared BPD deputy Commissioner Richard Worley Jr.
Crime scene tape and evidence markers surrounded a home on East Chase Street where authorities say a suspect was in that house where he didn’t belong.
“I called the neighbor and she said that the young man went off. He wanted to kill his mother. He was trying to shoot his mother,” shared Rose Early.
RELATED: Baltimore Police officer shot Friday afternoon while investigating behavioral health crisis
She was closing when it all went down says the incident was the culmination of many before, going on behind closed doors.
“His mom said he tore up the house and she had two big screen tv’s he messed them up, stuff like that. That was something they handled inside,” she told WMAR2 News.
Police say a family member called them just after noon and showed them a valid protective order.
Neighbors tell us the protective order was because the 19 year old’s mom feared for her life..
“I feel so sorry for her cause I’m sure, she knows details but she’s been going through this for a while,” added Early.
When officers got inside to make an arrest they say he attempted to get away and pulled out a gun —shooting the officer in his thigh.
Police say a second officer still in field training at the time was able to tend to his injures and transport him to the hospital and the suspect was taken into custody without any shots being fired from BPD.
“Another example of officer doing a fabulous job in a very dangerous situation with an individual with a weapon,” Worley told reporters.
But the concern looming for neighbors is ‘how and why the suspect had a gun in the first place when it’s apparent he’d been battling mental health issues.
Guns what are you going to do about guns? Any and everybody got guns. It’s sad it’s really sad. But what can you do about it cause people can just get them too easily,” said Early.
So far the Suspect hasn’t been identified and right now , undergoing psychiatric evaluation. No word yet on if the shooter will be charged…
As for the officer, he’s out of surgery recovering in stable condition.
The mayor's office sent WMAR-2 News this statement:
"This afternoon, Baltimore police officers responded to a home in the 1100 block of E. Chase Street for a behavioral health crisis. Upon entering the home and being told by a relative that a family member was suffering from a mental illness, officers found an adult male displaying violent behavior. As officers attempted to restrain the male, he fired a weapon, striking an officer in the leg. Fortunately, the officer’s injury is believed to be non-life threatening.
"Each day, our officers place their lives on the line to protect and serve the people of Baltimore and, on a day such as this, we are not only reminded of how dangerous this line of work can be, but we are also extremely grateful for the work our officers do to keep our communities safe. I want to thank the officers for providing aid and taking the suspect into custody. Behavioral health challenges are a very real thing for our community, and it is imperative for services to be made available for those who need them most."
