A woman threw herself through a window and a gunman was shot dead during a hostage situation at a residence near an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Baltimore.
Police responded to a burglary call at a home in the quiet Glen neighborhood, situated just feet away from the Agudath Israel of Baltimore synagogue.
A woman was held at gunpoint by a gunman inside the residence on Park Heights Avenue just after 12.30pm Tuesday, Police Commissioner Richard Worley said.
Another woman jumped out of a window during the tense confrontation and the gunman opened fire at the responding officers.
Officers reported taking sniper fire from inside the home, according to Broadcastify audio obtained by WMAR. Police were forced to take cover behind cars as the gunman fired at them, the outlet reported.
An officer as struck in the leg and transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in stable condition. Another officer applied a tourniquet at the scene.
The gunman, who police say was related to the residents of the home, was killed by a responding SWAT officer.
Initial reports suggested the gunfire was related to the synagogue.
Footage captured by a local resident showed officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, included officers carrying what appear to be assault-style weapons, descending on the scene.
Paramedics were also called to the scene, which appears to have been cordoned off by police.
‘It was relatively quick because he was firing on our officers,’ Commissioner Worley said. of the gunman.
‘We’re just so thankful that the officer or any other folks in that neighborhood were not severely harmed,’ Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott added.
‘Our thoughts are with him and his family, and even the family of the deceased.’
The Agudath Israel of Baltimore synagogue hosts daily services, including a 12.30pm mincha or afternoon prayer.
It is unclear if Tuesday’s mincha was underway when shots rang out or how many people were in attendance.
About a dozen students at the Kedushas Yisroel Khal Chassidim of Baltimore synagogue watched the situation unfold during their lunch break, local media reported.
One resident told the Baltimore Banner that ‘this kind of thing is not very common in this area.’
The Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police said in a post on X that ‘all involved members’ of the shooting are in ‘good spirits.’
Maryland Governor Wes Moore has also issued his thoughts and prayers for all those involved in the incident.
‘We have been in close contact with the Baltimore Police Department and I have offered any state support that they may need,’ he wrote on X.
‘I am grateful for the work done by our brave law enforcement officers and medical professionals to ensure that our communities are safe.’
