A Prince George’s County police officer shot and killed an already detained man who was both handcuffed and strapped in a seat belt in the front seat of a squad car this past Monday night.
What We Know:
- According to NBC Washington, this incident occurred in Temple Hills, Maryland. Police responded to a 911 call around 8 p.m. about an erratic driver who struck multiple vehicles in the Silver Hill area and on St. Barnabas Road.
- Christina Cootterman, spokesperson for the Prince George’s County Police Department, stated officers encountered the suspect on Winston Street and that they believed they smelled PCP coming from his vehicle.
- Prior to the shooting, officers had already handcuffed the driver with his hands behind his back and placed him in the front passenger seat of the police cruiser. Cotterman said it is standard procedure for suspects to be transported in the front seat and taken to Prince George’s County Department of Corrections for processing.
- Two independent witnesses told police they saw or heard some type of struggle ensue before gunshots came from inside the squad car. The officer in question, Michael Owen, shot the suspect several times. The victim wasn’t named at first in respect of his family getting notified first, but the department later revealed his name, William Green.
- It was confirmed the officer was not wearing his body camera. This marks yet another case of apparent police abuse and racial profiling among officer shootings, since the Fort Worth murder last month.
As of January 28th, the police department is continuing to investigate the incident, including looking to see if any nearby surveillance cameras captured another view of the incident.
