City officer shoots man after bar dispute

An off-duty Baltimore police officer who had just emerged from a bar shot and killed a man early today outside the Eden Lounge in Mid-Town Belvedere after the man apparently made advances toward the officer's female companion, according to a department spokesman.

Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III has ordered senior commanders to oversee the investigation. The commanders will want to know whether the officer had been drinking and whether it was prudent for him to carry his weapon while at the establishment.

Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the man had been shot several times during the altercation, which occurred in the first block of East Eager Street about 1:30 a.m. 1.) Officers are required to carry their weapons while off-duty in the city but exceptions are made for when they are in situation during which being armed would not be practical. That would include swimming or even drinking; it's up to the individual officer.

"We ask them to use their judgment," Guglielmi said.

Police said in a early morning Twitter message that the officer had shot the man in the back. In a later statement, Guglielmi said the man had been shot several times. The names of the officer and the dead man were not immediately released.

UPDATE: Guglielmi said the original Twitter was incorrect and that the man had been shot at least six times in the chest. He said detectives recovered eight shell casings from the scene. He also said the officer refused to take a breath test to determine how much he had to drink. It is is his legal right to refuse. The officer has been placed on desk duty during the investigation.

2.) In May, an off-duty police officer shot and wounded a man who authorities said was trying to break into his car on East Chase and North Charles streets, about a block away from this latest shooting.

Here is Guglielmi's statement:

Baltimore Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting which took place outside the Eden Lounge nightclub in the unit block of Eager Street in the Central District at approximately 130am.

Preliminary investigation indicates an off-duty officer (15 year veteran - assigned to the Eastern District Patrol Division) was leaving the nightclub when an individual approached and made advances towards the officer's female companion. The incident escalated into a verbal argument which turned physical.

The officer removed his departmental issued service weapon and shot the individual multiple times. The shooting victim was later pronounced at Shock Trauma Hospital at 218am.

At this time investigators are interviewing witnesses and determining if alcohol was a factor in the incident. Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld has order senior commanders to oversee the investigation through its entirety.

This information is preliminary and subject to change. We will update the media as information becomes available. A briefing will be scheduled for later this morning - stay tuned for details.