Baltimore police officer on life support after shooting

Police say a Baltimore officer is in critical condition after being ambushed and shot while sitting in a patrol vehicle

Police Shooting Baltimore (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A Baltimore officer is in critical condition after being ambushed and shot while sitting in a patrol vehicle early Thursday, authorities say.

Dr. Thomas Scalea said at a briefing outside Maryland Shock Trauma that the officer was shot multiple times and was on life support, The Baltimore Sun reports.

Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said the officer was on-duty but not responding to a call around 1:30 a.m. when the shooter approached from behind and opened fire. Other officers found the victim, who was not immediately identified by name or gender, after they hit the gas and their vehicle crashed.

The Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 tweeted early Thursday that city and state police union leaders were at the hospital and asked people to keep the officer in their prayers.

Harrison said he and Mayor Brandon Scott met with the officer’s family members, “who are, like us, obviously angry, confused, in search of answers, and have an expectation that we will find who did this and hold one or as many people responsible for this as possible.”

The police knew few details on the shooting and were asking the public for help finding more information.

“We have a coward on the loose in Baltimore that we must and will find,” Scott said.