Baltimore Detective Murdered Day Before Scheduled to Give Federal Grand Jury Testimony Against Fellow Officers

Det Sean Suiter -Huff Post

I am not a big believer in coincidences when it comes to stories like this.  43 year old Detective Sean Suiter was gunned down and killed while on duty investigating a triple homicide on November 15th.  He was scheduled to appear before a federal grand jury on the following day to give testimony against 8 fellow officers facing Federal Racketeering charges.  4 of the officers reportedly have already pleaded guilty to those charges.

The officers involved were part of Baltimore's "Elite" Gun Trace Task Force. The incidents occurred a few years ago but the indictments came down in March and August on Federal Racketeering charges.  Baltimore Police Commissioner has downplayed any connection between the grand jury testimony and Suiter's murder in the media.  Suiter was not charged in the indictment. He was believed to be giving testimony on police corruption and drug shakedowns.  That could cause some cracks in that thin blue line we hear so much about.  However there are so many things that stink about this shooting.  Here are some of the details of how it went down:

On November 15 Detective Suiter and his partner (who hasn't been named) were at the scene of a triple homicide when they noticed a "suspicious" man in a vacant lot - they approached him, there reportedly is video surveillance of the approaching officers.  At some point a struggle ensued between Suiter and the killer and he was shot once in the head.  It is believed he was shot with his own service revolver.  How is it a suspicious man was able to disarm a seasoned officer with his partner right there?  Also more perplexing is there isn't a really good description of the shooter and you would think his partner would have gotten a real good look at the man who killed his partner.  All he's been able to give in the way of a description is the generic black male with a black jacket with a white stripe.  Gee, thanks partner.

The whole thing stinks.  Did Suiter and his partner have their body cameras operating at the time the approached this man?  If he was so suspicious, they should have.  I also can't understand how the man was able to elude Suiter's partner after the "struggle" and shooting.  Partners are like married people - they watch each other's back each and every day so how did Mr. Suspicious get away?

I don't know if Suiter left behind a wife, but he has 5 children who will now be without their father.  Baltimore is a dangerous place for sure.  But when the Police Commissioner says that it would be "entirely plausible" that this was a random shooting is ludicrous to me.  Come on Commissioner, do you really believe that?  Officers put their lives in great danger every day they go out on the streets.  But during the daylight hours and with a partner he should have been much safer.  I want to know a lot more about this case because something is definitely rotten in Denmark/Baltimore.

More details as they become available.  RIP Detective Sean Suiter.

Photo credit: Baltimore PD