Body camera video shows police officers shooting and killing an armed man in West Baltimore

BALTIMORE — Baltimore police have released several body-worn camera videos showing officers shoot and kill a man during an encounter in West Baltimore on October 9th.

The encounter began when Robert Nedd Jr. crashed his car into several other vehicles on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Sergeant Thomas Gross came and asked him to sit on the curb.

Fourteen seconds after Nedd sits down and Gross calls for a paramedic to check him out, he runs toward a wooded area on Argyle Avenue and walks near a fence.

“Sit up. Let me see your hands! Don’t move. Don’t move! Let me see your hands. Raise your hands up!” Rough screams.

The sergeant radios that he believes Nedd has something on his hands.

Backup arrived quickly.

Three officers who fired their weapons are on regular administrative leave.

The shooting

WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren asked Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley how many times Nedd was hit and whether Nedd fired his weapon during the incident.

“I don’t know how many times he got hit. 19 shots were fired. We don’t believe he fired his gun, but he had a gun with 15 rounds of bullets,” Worley responded.

Worley also said of Nedd: “He was only suspected of a car accident, but when someone runs from the police it usually means they don’t want to talk to the police. And as we found out, he was forbidden from owning a firearm and he had one on him.

“You have made a decision”

Police showed a video highlighted with a red circle that allegedly showed a gun in Nedd’s hand when he was shot.

“For everyone’s safety, officers saw what they saw and made a decision,” Worley said.

He said WJZ officers are in the community to “take proactive enforcement actions and address community concerns regarding drug trafficking and weapons.”

Early release from prison

According to court documents obtained by WJZ, Judge James K. Bredar, who oversees police reform in Baltimore under the Consent Decree, recently signed an order releasing Nedd from federal prison 17 months early.

Nedd was convicted of possession of a loaded semi-automatic handgun in a 2014 case.

In that case, prosecutors said he was involved in the extermination of members of the Black Guerrilla Family.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Nedd had only been out of prison for 49 days before he was killed.

The weapon was a gift

Nedd told police the gun was a gift for his protection after he was previously released from prison, according to the statement of facts in a plea agreement.

Nedd was forbidden from owning a weapon.

“While we are still in the early stages of this investigation, I want to reiterate that we are committed to working with the Attorney General’s Office to ensure a thorough investigation into the incident,” Worley said.