| Returned iraq veteran soldier fires at police officer { July 23 2007 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active) http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.shoot23jul23,0,442996.storyhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.shoot23jul23,0,442996.story
Soldier fatally shot by police Man, 25, allegedly fired on officer in downtown garage
By Jennifer McMenamin | sun reporter July 23, 2007
A Baltimore policeman shot and killed an Army soldier in a downtown parking garage early yesterday after the serviceman fired a large-caliber gun at the officer, who was trying to break up a fight, a Police Department spokeswoman said.
Cpl. Alexander E. Larkin, 25, who is assigned to the military intelligence unit at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County, was pronounced dead at the scene about 2 a.m. at the Harbor Park Garage after being shot multiple times.
Larkin and a male friend had visited several clubs and bars in the nearby Power Plant Live! entertainment complex before the fight broke out in the parking garage as bars were closing, said Nicole Monroe, a Baltimore police spokeswoman.
Monroe said the police officer involved in the shooting tried to break up a fight between Larkin's friend and another man by spraying the men with Mace and fired his gun only after Larkin shot at him with a .50-caliber Desert Eagle handgun -- a weapon so fearsome that it has appeared in numerous action movies, video games and TV shows.
"We do know for a fact that [Larkin] fired at a police officer with a very large-caliber handgun -- a police officer who was in full uniform -- and placed that police officer in a terrible position in which his life was threatened," Monroe said.
Larkin's mother, Robin Harris of Silver Spring, disputed that account last night, saying that people who were in the parking garage when the shooting occurred told her that her son never pointed his gun at the officer, let alone fired it.
Harris said her son got out of the truck in which he was a passenger to help his friend, who was in a fight with a man who had a baseball bat.
"When my son saw that his friend was being hit with a bat, he got out of the car to help his friend," she said. "He had his gun at his side because he knows not to draw a gun on a police officer."
She added, "The police officer said to him, 'Drop your gun,' and then fired five shots. They shot him five times."
Baltimore police Officer Jared Stern, 25, who fired the shots that killed Larkin, was placed on routine paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the shooting, the department spokeswoman said.
The Police Department's homicide unit will conduct the investigation.
Stern joined the Police Department in March 2006 and was assigned to the city's Western District, Monroe said. He was working an overtime shift in the city's downtown Central District when he encountered the men fighting in the parking garage at 55 Market Place, she said.
"We try to put uniformed officers in parking lots and certain locations downtown for public safety," Monroe said. "He was just doing his job."
Monroe said she was unsure whether the officer came upon the fight in the garage or was responding to a call. She said she didn't know how the fight began or what it was about.
According to Monroe, Larkin's friend -- who is also believed to be in the military -- was arguing with another man in the parking garage. Larkin and a friend of the other man were approaching the fight when Stern arrived.
Stern used his Mace to try to break up the fight, then returned fire after Larkin shot at him, Monroe said.
Monroe would not say how many bullets hit Larkin or how many shots the officer fired. She said the Desert Eagle handgun that Larkin fired was not a military-issued weapon that a soldier would use as a sidearm.
She also said that police are not releasing the names of Larkin's friend or the two other men involved in the fight because the shooting is still under investigation.
Monroe said police are looking into whether the men had been drinking before the fight. She also said that police have not ruled out the possibility of filing charges against Larkin's friend and the other two men involved in the fight.
Harris said her son joined the Army 4 1/2 years ago and served a year in Iraq about three years ago. He and his ex-wife, who is in the Air Force, shared custody of their 3-year-old son.
"Alex loved being in the military and wanted to go back to Iraq," Harris said. She said his death was particularly troubling given his military service, saying, "He went to Iraq, and my baby came home safe."
A Harbor Park garage attendant -- who did not want to be identified for fear of losing his job -- said the shooting occurred on the second floor, near the exit gate and just outside the management office. A bullet hole remained in the office door, he said.
Yesterday's police-involved fatal shooting was the sixth this year. Last year, city police fatally shot five people. Monroe said the police-involved shooting of Larkin would not count among the city's homicides this year.
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