Md. Police: Officer Involved in Shooting

WASHINGTON - An off-duty officer shot and killed an unarmed man early Saturday outside a nightclub after the man made advances toward a woman who was with the officer, Baltimore police said.

Police said they are investigating whether alcohol was a factor. The officer declined to take an alcohol breath test.

The officer was leaving the Eden Lounge early Saturday when the man starting making advances toward the officer's companion, said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Guglielmi said it turned into an argument that then became physical.

The officer, who Guglielmi said is a 15-year veteran, has not been named. The man who was shot was identified as 32-year-old Tyrone Brown.

A former Marine who served four years in Iraq, Brown worked as a maintenance man at the city jail and was taking courses to become an electrician, relatives said. He had no criminal record but for a 5-year-old charge, eventually dropped, for having an open container of alcohol.

A preliminary investigation found Brown was shot multiple times, and investigators found 13 shell casings from the officer's department-issued weapon at the scene, Guglielmi said.

Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III has ordered his senior commanders to oversee the investigation. Guglielmi said the officer was being questioned, which is customary in shootings involving an officer.

The state's attorney's office will review the evidence and decide whether to file charges, which also is customary, he said.

Officers typically carry their service weapons while off-duty in Baltimore, but Guglielmi said they should not be carrying their guns if they intend to become intoxicated.