A police trainee is in critical condition Wednesday morning after being shot in the head during a training exercise in Owings Mills.
At 2:30 p.m., a University of Maryland Baltimore Police trainee was shot by an instructor at the Rosewood Center, according to Baltimore Police Detective Angela Carter-Watson. The trainee, who is in his 40s, was shot in the front of his head, said Thomas Scalea, the chief physician at shock trauma, during a press conference Tuesday night.
Video of the press conference can found here on ABC2 News' website.
Family members asked police not to identify the trainee because they are not from the area and have not yet notified family and friends of the incident, Baltimore Police Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told reporters, according to ABC2news.com.
The training facility is operated by Baltimore Police, who train various law enforcement agencies, Guglielmi told the media.
Maryland State Police are investigating the incident since it occurred on state property. The Baltimore Police internal affairs bureau and the Maryland Police Training Commission are also conducting investigations.
The trainee underwent surgery Tuesday night and was listed in critical condition Wednesday morning, Carter-Watson said.
Another trainee from Baltimore Police sustained a minor laceration from broken glass at the training facility Tuesday, she said.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts announced that all police academy operations and training exercises are suspended until a safety evaluation is complete, Carter-Watson said. During Tuesday night's press conference, Batts said that the incident was unacceptable, and told members of the media he still has a lot of questions.
During the press conference, Batts did not answer a question about why live ammunition was used during the exercise. Carter-Watson said she could not answer further questions since it was under investigation when asked about live ammunition.
UMD Baltimore Police Chief Antonio Williams told reporters the trainee came to his organization in July 2012 and this is his first police job.
“He’s in the best place he can be, getting the best medical care he can get,” he said at Tuesday’s press conference.