Maryland AG Declines Charges in Fatal Columbia Police Shooting

Maryland prosecutors will not file criminal charges against three Howard County police officers who fatally shot Columbia resident Alexander Lamorie outside Patuxent Commons, the state Attorney General’s Office announced July 7.

The decision followed an investigation completed July 1 by the Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division. Lamorie, 25, was killed March 1 after officers responded to a 911-related call at Patuxent Commons in Columbia. The officers involved were Cody Bostic, Joel Rodriguez and Pfc. Joseph Riebau.

What the state report says happened

According to the 10-page declination report, Lamorie told 911 that he was being harassed and blackmailed. During a phone conversation before officers arrived, he made suicidal statements. Officers said they planned to initiate an emergency-evaluation petition.

When officers could not find Lamorie inside his apartment, they encountered him outside with a knife in his hand. The report says officers repeatedly ordered him to stop and drop the knife. Lamorie continued moving toward them as officers backed toward the apartment entrance.

The report says Lamorie was an estimated 12 to 16 feet from the officers when Bostic, Rodriguez and Riebau fired their service weapons. Lamorie was struck multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators reviewed body-worn camera footage and Patuxent Commons surveillance video.

Why prosecutors declined charges

The state considered Maryland’s use-of-force statute and homicide offenses. Prosecutors concluded they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers used excessive force or disprove their claims that they reasonably believed they faced an immediate threat of serious harm or death.

That is a criminal charging decision, not a finding that every part of the encounter was beyond criticism. The report discusses Howard County Police Department policies requiring officers to consider de-escalation when safe, including verbal persuasion, warnings, creating distance and requesting additional resources. It also notes that one officer asked, “do we have less lethal?” shortly before the shooting.

Questions that remain

The report does not decide civil liability or the department’s administrative review. It also does not settle broader questions about how 911 calls involving suicidal statements, autism or other disabilities should be handled, or when less-lethal tools and specialized mental-health resources should be used.

Lamorie’s family criticized the decision in comments reported by WBAL, arguing that officers should have had more nonlethal options and requesting release of additional Patuxent Commons security footage. The family’s claims and requests are separate from the state’s criminal determination.

For Columbia and Howard County residents, the immediate outcome is clear: no state criminal charges will be filed against the three officers based on this investigation. The remaining public-accountability questions concern evidence disclosure, any administrative findings by the police department and how the county addresses emergency responses involving mental-health crises and people with disabilities.

Sources

• Maryland Attorney General announcement
• WBAL reporting on the decision and family response