UPDATE – The fallen deputies have been identified as Senior Deputy Patrick Daily and Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon. Dailey served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was a 30-year-veteran of the department. Logsdon served in the U.S. Army and was on the force for 16 years.
ABINGDON, Md. — A gunman fatally shot a sheriff’s deputy inside a crowded restaurant at lunchtime Wednesday and killed another deputy in a shootout, authorities and witnesses said.
The suspect was killed in the exchange of gunfire not far from the shopping center where the restaurant was located, Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said. Remarkably, no bystanders were hurt.
Police haven’t released a motive for the shooting, but the sheriff said he believed the first deputy who approached the gunman was shot because he was wearing a uniform. The shooter, identified as 67-year-old David Brian Evans, had warrants out for his arrest in Harford County and Florida, where he was accused of assaulting a police officer.
The initial shooting took place inside a Panera restaurant in Abingdon, which is about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore.
Sophia Faulkner, 15, said she and her mother were getting lunch and almost sat right next to the gunman. Instead, they chose a booth about 10 feet away because the man appeared “sketchy” and disheveled. He was sitting in the back and hadn’t ordered any food, Faulker and her mother said.
A sheriff’s deputy was called to the restaurant to check on a report about someone causing a problem. The deputy tried to talk to the man, who was apparently known to local deputies and workers at the restaurant. The deputy sat down beside him, asked how he was doing and the man shot him in the head.
“I saw him fall back out of his chair and the blood started coming out,” Faulkner said. “I didn’t know how to process it. My mom said, ‘What’s going on?’ and I said, ‘Get down, someone just got shot.'”
The shooter fled and “everyone started screaming,” Faulkner said. Children at the restaurant — out of school because of snowfall — were running around.
“I was freaking out so much and everybody was running to one side of the store. Families were huddling together. I didn’t really know what was going on,” she said. “You see this stuff online and in movies and on TV when it happens, but you never think you’re going to go out to lunch one day with your mom and it’s just going to happen.”
Bartender Mike Davis was working at the Ocean City Brewing Co.’s Taphouse when he saw two women and a child run from Panera to his restaurant’s back door.
“They were hysterical. They said they heard gunshots,” he said. “We locked the door and went to talk to a cop. The cop said not to let anyone in. Then, we heard more gunshots, ‘Pop, pop, pop, pop,’ from down in the shopping center. It was hectic.”
Witnesses gave officers a description of the gunman and told them which way he was headed, the sheriff said. Deputies caught up with him and shots were exchanged, the sheriff said.
The slain officers were described as a 30-year veteran and a 16-year veteran. The sheriff said he had met with both of their families but was withholding their names because more relatives needed to be notified.
“This is a tragic day for the Harford County Sheriff’s Office,” Gahler said.
One of the deputies had been taken to Shock Trauma. Video showed an ambulance and sheriff’s car escorted by police on motorcycles leaving, apparently taking the body to the medical examiner’s office. Police lined each side of the street and saluted when the vehicles drove by.
The sheriff said investigators believe the person acted alone and there is no further threat to the community.
“The restaurant was very full at lunchtime,” Gahler said. “Thankfully, no one else was injured.”
The shopping center is called the Boulevard at Box Hill. It has a mix of shops, restaurants, a grocery store and a bank.
Yellow tape blocked off the Panera and Taphouse restaurants, but people were coming and going freely at other businesses after the shooting.
Panera spokeswoman Amanda Cardosi said the company is heartbroken.
“Our thoughts and actions now are directed towards the victims and their families. This location will remain closed as we work with law enforcement to investigate,” she said.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Once again senseless loss of officer’s lives at the hand of a coward, who in this case got his just dues. Prayers for the officers and their families (personal and department). Their ultimate sacrifice will not be forgotten.
Oh yes it will. When the next shooting occurres this one will be forgotten. Tell me what you remember about the last officer killed?
My point. This country is so us to this that we talk tough and leave prayers and a stuffed animal and then go on other our lives
Never forgotten but yes life does not stop, life does go on!
I am heartbroken for these officers and their families. These senseless shootings of these heroes that put their life on the line to protect us needs to stop. This current administration needs to speak up to the likes of groups such as black lives matter and stop them from spreading hate speech against law enforcement. I blame them, Beyonce’ and all these useless Marches against police officers just for doing their jobs. America needs to stand up and speak up, before it’s too late for all of us! God Bless these Officers and their families! God Bless and watch over all law enforcement and first responders!
The President does speak about against it, actually. Maybe listen to his actual words instead of what someone told you he said? This shooter was also white, not black, just like the thugs in Oregon as well as the thugs at the Bundy ranch who all threatened the lives of police officers. Further, the stats speak for themselves. The tragic loss of law enforcement life is near a 30 year low, with only one year lower. Lastly, any truly good cop will tell you that blind devotion to LE is just as dangerous as blind hatred because that’s what allows the very real cases of abuse of power and brutality to be excused when they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for the breech of public trust.
The people in Oregon are not thugs ,they’re trying to keep their land that bill & hilary sold to the Russians they did not threaten any offercers .you need to know what they are about before you spew your BS there has been nothing on the news about this .i have people in Oregon that has been living close to it .it was an unoccupied building who did it hurt? But one of them were shot by a sniper at a fake road block on their way to a meeting with officals to stop it yes thats justice shooting an unarmed man by hiding in the woods
Good old Maryland.
home of the brave and disarmed.
You nailed it, Doug Patrick. If I were a police officer or thinking of becoming a police officer, I would not work in a ‘Gun free’ State!!!
So an armed civilian would have stopped this guy in a shootout in a crowded restaurant? This guy killed 2 trained officers who were armed before being put down. Maybe we should send you in next time instead of a LEO for something like this
Guess those tough MD gun laws didn’t stop that guy either.
but make everyone in that building a possible victim.
Rest in peace my brave brothers. You gave your all. My only hope is that the shooter died slowly and in a lot of pain. The rotten Son of Bitch.
My heart goes out to the families of those that were slain, for no apparent reason, other than they were the uniform of a police officer. May they rest in God’s peace and may their families find comfort from all of us that care.
But, but…Panera Bread restaurants are gun free zones!!
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